India vs New Zealand, 2nd Test: Rohit Sharma drops KL Rahul, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj; Shubman Gill returns

India vs New Zealand, 2nd Test: India's Rohit Sharma made three changes for the second Test against New Zealand in Pune, hoping for a comeback in the series after losing the first by eight wickets. 

KL Rahul was replaced by Shubman Gill, who had recovered from a neck stiffness that had kept him out of the first Test in Bengaluru. India decided to continue with Sarfaraz Khan, who scored 150 in the series opener.

There were two changes in India's bowling department. Akash Deep was called in to replace Mohammed Siraj, who, despite bowling well, had failed to pick up wickets in his last few games.

The real surprise was Washington Sundar's selection over Kuldeep Yadav. Sundar was included in the second Test team due to New Zealand's batting unit's abundance of left-handed batsmen. However, the fact that he would be playing ahead of Kuldeep and Axar Patel, who were already on the team, was a surprise.

Sundar's inclusion also provides additional cushion for India's lower order. They now bat as deep as No. 9, with three specialist all-rounders in the XI: Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, and Washington Sundar.

India captain Rohit Sharma did not go into detail about the reasons for the three changes, but he did emphasise the importance of the first 10-15 overs on Day 1.

"When you play a Test match like that, the first session did not go well for us. But we hit well in the second inning. We take a lot of positives from that and see how we can improve things here. When you're behind in a test match, you're always looking for methods to catch up. That is what we did. Yes, the pitch is slightly drier. We understand how vital the opening ten overs are. Three changes occur: Siraj, KL, and Kuldeep are absent. Akash Deep, Washington, and Gill join in."