India were given an early jolt after losing captain Rohit Sharma for a nine-ball duck before the close of play in Pune. They were 16/1 in 11 overs, trailing New Zealand by 243 runs. Washington Sundar delivered the goods with a maiden five-wicket haul in Test cricket. He finished with excellent bowling figures of 7/59 as New Zealand were bowled out for 259 in their first innings after opting to bat first. Rachin Ravindra continued his superb start to the India tour with a solid half-century but Sundar produced an excellent delivery to have him bowled on 65 giving his team a big breakthrough. The offie, who replaced Kuldeep Yadav in the playing XI, struck again at the stroke of tea and sent back Tom Blundell. R Ashwin struck again for India to break another good partnership with the scalp of a well-set Devon Conway on 76. Conway edged one to be caught-behind.
Conway completed his fifty right at the start of the second session as he clattered three fours in an over of Jasprit Bumrah. In the morning session, India landed two blows via Ashwin after New Zealand opted to bat first in Pune. Ashwin first removed Tom Latham before getting rid of Will Young.
Earlier, India announced three changes in the playing XI as out-of-form KL Rahul made way for Shubman Gill. Washington Sundar and Akash Deep were also included into the team in place of Kuldeep Yadav and Mohammed Siraj.
