WILL YOU HAVE THE LAST LAUGH? Ravindra Jadeja, Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir during India's training session in Pune on Wednesday. (Photo by Punit Paranjpe/AFP via Getty Images)

India, trailing 1-0 in the series and under pressure to maintain their excellent home record, will be hoping for the success of their top players. New Zealandon the other hand, will be aiming for a historic series win as the second Test begins today in Pune…
PUNE: India head coach Gautam Gambhir's assertion that trying to win the second Test against New Zealand is a top priority – and that it will take precedence over planning the tour of Australia – has cleared the fog.
That makes sense because if you don't take any risks, get your best XI on the park and win this series, India will be in the best position to qualify World Test Championship (WTC) final at Lord's from June 11th. The first of five Tests in Australia begins in Perth on November 22nd.

It is now safe to say that barring any last-minute fitness issues or a change of heart, Shubman Gill will take KL Rahul's place in the team for the second Test of the series starting on Thursday at the Gahunje Stadium. There is a strong possibility of pacer Akash Deep stepping in for Mohammed Siraj.
The strategy of playing with three spinners will be retained, albeit with a change in personnel – meaning either left-handed spinner Axar Patel or left-handed batsman Washington Sundar is likely to take the place of left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav. Gambhir said Gill and Rishabh Pant are fit and available for selection.

Kiwi captain Tom Latham said: “Our job is to adapt as quickly as possible. We can't control the playing field. Going into the game without any preconceived ideas is a strength of this team.”
However, New Zealand must decide whether to retain their three-man attack from the first Test – Tim Southee, Matt Henry and William O'Rourke – or bring in an additional spinner in Mitchell Santner.
Sometimes the playing XI also decides your preference when throwing. And that can also backfire.

On his achievement in leading the Black Caps to their third Test victory on Indian soil in the previous Test, Latham said: “That was last week. We celebrated a special achievement. But our attention quickly turned to this game. We don't want to rest (on the laurels) of last week.
“But we want to gain confidence for the future from this victory. The win shows that we can compete and compete here. But we are clear that both teams start this game with zero. We hope we can put pressure on India.” “Consistently do the right things,” Latham added.
One of those right things could be not to go into a shell and do crucial footwork – like Rachin Ravindra did in Bengaluru – against the Indian spinners.

In the last Test against South Africa at this venue in 2019, Virat Kohli had hit a well-controlled double hundred. If the pitch behaves like a typical Indian wicket, the former India captain, who is expected to be back at his preferred No. 4 batting spot behind Shubman Gill, could well score another big one.
Latham said: “We expect India to give its best in the next few days.”
Their main task will be to not allow the home team – especially openers Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal – to give their best.

If there are sharp bends on the track, India is not safe either. Unpredictable spinners have caused big problems for India in the past.
In addition to Ajaz Patel's 10 wickets in an innings in Mumbai in 2021, there are examples of Australia's Steve O'Keefe (12-70, Pune 2017), Matthew Kuhnemann (6-76, Indore 2023) and England's Tom Hartley (7- 62, Hyderabad, January 2024) is a major concern for India with his left-arm spin.