Ind vs NZ, 2nd Test: India opt to bat after winning toss, Kohli replaces Rahane

India won the toss and opted to bat against New Zealand in the second Test of the two-match Test series here at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai on Friday.

India won the toss and opted to bat against New Zealand in the second Test of the two-match Test series here at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai on Friday. The second Test will see Virat Kohli coming back to the playing XI and leading the hosts. The skipper has replaced batter Ajiynkya Rahane while pacer Mohammed Siraj made his way into the squad in the place of Ishant Sharma.

Ishant Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane and Ravindra Jadeja have been ruled out due to injuries that they sustained during the first Test. Speaking at the toss, India skipper Virat Kohli said, "We're batting first. Looks like a hard wicket and not a lot of grass. With the sun out, it should be the best time to bat. Rahane had a hammie niggle on Day 5, Jadeja has a swollen right forearm, and Ishant has an injury too. We just have to do the basics right like in Kanpur. NZ must be given credit for batting out the overs on Day 5. We can be in positions to capitalize at home if we play well."

On the other hand, New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson said, "We would've had a bat too. It's been under covers for a few days, and so it might do a bit early. Unfortunate for Kane, his elbow is acting up again, but a good chance for Mitchell. It might swing with the humidity here, and we will get assistance and given the pitch, it will spin too. We did well after losing the toss in Kanpur and hopefully, we can make use of the conditions here and pick up some early wickets." India Playing XI: Mayank Agarwal, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli(c), Shreyas Iyer, Wriddhiman Saha(w), Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Jayant Yadav, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Siraj

New Zealand Playing XI: Tom Latham(c), Will Young, Daryl Mitchell, Ross Taylor, Henry Nicholls, Tom Blundell(w), Rachin Ravindra, Kyle Jamieson, Tim Southee, William Somerville, Ajaz Patel (ANI)

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