When reporting agencies contacted hero of the Day 1-Off-Spinner Washington Sundar, he shared, The way it came through, fact that I wasn’t part of the first Test and I was called for this particular Test and given the opportunity to play in the XI, I was really grateful to the coach and captain. Unbelievable feeling. After the first session, I wanted to be very accurate no matter what situation I was bowling or which batsman I was coming across. It was God’s plan, just came through really well. I just focused to hit the particular areas, changed my pace here and there, just really grateful.

We genuinely felt the pitch that it will start spinning from day one. It did spin in the first session but don’t think it did a lot in the second. The pitch settled down from the third session, but eventually it did spin.

About favorite wicket taken, he shared that unfair for me to choose one. Certainly, Rachin Ravindra because he was batting well. Daryl Mitchell’s wicket as well was game changer.

At the end of the Day 1 play, India was 16 for 1 in their first innings in reply to New Zealand’s 259 all out on the opening day of the second Test in Pune.

Off-spinner Washington Sundar (7/59) took seven wickets as India dismissed New Zealand in the third session of the day. Veteran spinner R Ashwin (3/64) took three wickets.

Devon Conway (76) and the Rachin Ravindra (65) remained the top scorers for the tourists.

In reply, India lost skipper Rohit Sharma (0) early. Youngsters Yashaswi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill were manning the crease at stumps as the hosts trailed by 243 runs. With India looking to bounce back from the eight-wicket thrashing got at Bengaluru in the opening Test, the focus now is on the team combination.

Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant the duo with fitness concerns are set to feature in Indias starting line-up. With the series on the line, Gills availability will mean the selection dilemma plot thicken. Rishabh is pretty good. He was having a little bit of discomfort at the end range of his movement with the knee. Indias assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate shared that he will prove good in this Test as well.

While Pant was hit on the stitches on his right knee while keeping in Bengaluru handing over the gloves to Dhruv Jurel, the reserve wicketkeeper. Gill, meanwhile, missed the series opener due to a neck sprain.

Both Pant and Gill had long stints in the nets at the Maharashtra Cricket Association stadium and did not appear to be in any discomfort. Gill, especially, looked solid.