Team India arrived in Pune on Monday (October 21) ahead of the second test match after their disappointing 8-wicket loss against New Zealand at M. Chinnaswamy stadium in Bengaluru. It was the first time in 36 years that the Kiwis had won a test match against the men in blue on Indian soil since 1988.
Rohit Sharma and his men will be keen to win the second game to level the 3-match test series with 1-1. Also, the core batsman Virat Kohli, who returned to his best form with a stunning 102-ball-70 runs in the first test, is set to achieve multiple milestones in their upcoming second match. Whereas, KL Rahul, who isn’t in his most pleasing form, might be replaced by Shubman Gill in a must-win situation game.
On the other side, New Zealand, under Tom Latham’s captaincy, will aim to win the series by taking a 2-0 lead.
Although the wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant has recovered from a knee injury scare in the Bengaluru test, he might be rested for the forthcoming clash. The Indian cricket team management would consider the safety of the young cricketer who recently made his comeback into international cricket a few months back after a life-threatening car accident. There are possibilities for Dhruv Jurel to replace Pant in the playing XI.
Compared to the first test match, you can expect a notable difference in the weather and pitch conditions in Pune, which could favor the hosts to recover from their shocking loss.
Let’s compare the updated head-to-head stats after the recently concluded contest to predict the winner of the IND vs NZ 2nd test match.
Schedule and Venue for IND vs NZ 2nd Test Match
Here is the schedule and venue of the 2nd test match between India and New Zealand all you need to know about:
| EVENT | DATE and DAY | TIMINGS | VENUE | SEATING CAPACITY |
| IND vs NZ 2nd Test Match 2024 | October 24 (Thursday) to October 28 (Monday) | 09:30 am LOCAL (IST) 05:00 pm NZST | Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) Stadium in Pune | 42,700 |
Virat Kohli’s Milestones to be Accomplished in IND vs NZ 2nd Test
These are the numerous milestones Virat Kohli could achieve in the 2nd test match between India and New Zealand:
| Milestone | Comparison | Target Required for Virat Kohli to achieve the milestone |
| David Warner’s World Test Championship (WTC) Runs | David Warner: 2,423 runs (37.27 average with five 100s and eight 50s). Virat Kohli: 2,404 runs (38.77 average with four 100s and eleven 50s). | 20 runs away to surpass Warner’s record |
| Don Bradman’s total centuries in test cricket | Don Bradman: 29 centuries Virat Kohli: 29 centuries | A single century to add another milestone of the 30th test hundred. |
| Sanath Jayasuriya’s Test half-centuries tally | Sanath Jayasuriya: 31 half-centuries Virat Kohli: 31 half-centuries | One half-century required |
| GT Dowling’s run tally in IND vs NZ tests | GT Dowling: 964 runs (4th leading run scorer in IND vs NZ test) Virat Kohli: 936 runs (5th leading run scorer in IND vs NZ test) | 29 runs required to become the 4th highest run scorer in IND vs NZ tests |
Weather Conditions in Pune for IND vs NZ 2nd Test Match
The weather forecast reports indicate that the five-day test match in Pune from the 24th to the 28th is sunny with slightly cloudy conditions and temperatures ranging between 31 °C to 34 °C. With 85% humidity and wind speed of 4 to 10 km/hr, there are little to no chances of rain, which guarantees fans enjoy a highly competitive test match between these two teams without any interruptions.
Pitch Conditions and Expected Toss Outcome for IND vs NZ 2nd Test Match
According to the latest news, a slow-turning pitch with a flat surface is prepared for the IND vs NZ 2nd test match at MCA stadium in Pune. You can expect less bounce on the black soil that could assist spinners more rather than pacers.
As the innings progress, the spinners’ domination keeps increasing with huge variations that will result in the toss-winning captain to bat first and post a challenging total.
India vs New Zealand Head-to-Head Stats in Test Cricket
After the Bengaluru test match, you can observe these few changes in the head-to-head stats of India vs New Zealand in the red-ball format:
| IND vs NZ Total test matches played | 63 |
| India’s total winnings | 22 |
| New Zealand’s total winnings | 14 |
| Draw Games | 27 |
| No Result Matches | 0 |
| India’s victories at home | 17 |
| India’s victories away | 5 |
| New Zealand victories at home | 10 |
| New Zealand’s victories away | 3 |
| India Winnings at Neutral Venue | 0 |
| New Zealand’s Victories at Neutral Venue | 1 |
| Highest Total in IND vs NZ Tests | New Zealand in 2014: 680-8 in 210 overs (innings declared) at Basin Reserve, Wellington |
| Lowest Total in IND vs NZ Tests | India in 2024: 46-10 in 31.2 overs at M.Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru |
| Top Run Scorer in IND vs NZ Tests | Rahul Dravid (INDIA): 1,659 runs in 28 test innings (15 matches). |
| Top Wicket Taker in IND vs NZ Tests | Ravichandran Ashwin (INDIA): 67 wickets in test 19 innings (10 matches) |
Possible Playing XI Combination for India vs New Zealand 2nd Test Match
There are high chance that India will implement a few changes in their playing XI while New Zealand will continue with the same combination compared to the previous match:
India’s Expected Playing XI Combination for 2nd Test Match:
| S.No | Player | Role | Batting / Bowling Technique |
| 1. | Rohit Sharma (Captain) | Batsman | Right-Handed |
| 2. | Yashasvi Jaiswal | Batsman | Left-Handed |
| 3. | Shubman Gill | Batsman | Right-Handed |
| 4. | Virat Kohli | Batsman | Right-Handed |
| 5. | Sarfaraz Khan | Batsman | Right-Handed |
| 6. | Dhruv Jurel | Batsman and Wicketkeeper | Right-Handed |
| 7. | Ravichandran Ashwin | All-rounder | Batting: Right-handed Bowling: Right-arm off-spinner |
| 8. | Ravindra Jadeja | All-rounder | Batting: Left-handed Bowling: Left-arm orthodox spinner |
| 9. | Axar Patel | All-rounder | Batting: Left-handed Bowling: Left-arm orthodox spinner |
| 10. | Akash Deep | Bowler | Right-arm medium pacer |
| 11. | Jasprit Bumrah | Bowler | Right-arm pacer |
New Zealand’s Expected Playing XI Combination for 2nd Test Match:
| S.No | Player | Role | Batting / Bowling Technique |
| 1. | Tom Latham (Captain) | Batsman | Left-Handed |
| 2. | Devon Conway | Batsman | Left-Handed |
| 3. | Will Young | Batsman | Right-Handed |
| 4. | Rachin Ravindra | Batting All-rounder | Batting: Left-handed Bowling: Left-arm orthodox spinner |
| 5. | Daryl Mitchell | Batting All-rounder | Batting: Right-handed Bowling: Right-arm medium pacer |
| 6. | Tom Blundell | Batsman and Wicketkeeper | Right-Handed |
| 7. | Glenn Phillips | Batsman | Right-Handed |
| 8. | Tim Southee | Bowler | Right-arm medium pacer |
| 9. | Ajaz Patel | Bowler | Left-arm orthodox spinner |
| 10. | Matt Henry | Bowler | Right-arm medium pacer |
| 11. | William O’Rourke | Bowler | Right-arm medium pacer |
Where to Watch Live Match of IND vs NZ 2nd Test Match? Live Streaming and Broadcasting details
If you’re a resident of India or New Zealand, here are the live-streaming and broadcasting details you need to know to watch the match from your convenient location:
| Country | Live Streaming Platform | Live Broadcasting |
| India | JioCinema (App and Official Website) | Colors Cineplex, Sports 18 Network– Sports18 1 SD and HD |
| New Zealand | Sky Go (Official Streaming Platform of Sky Sport) | Sky Sport |
Winner of India vs New Zealand 2nd Test Match 2024: Overall Prediction
India has higher chances to bounce back and win the second test match only if there are more spinners in the playing XI, to make handy contributions with the bat and grab crucial wickets on a turning track.
On the other side, New Zealand aims to create another history by winning its first-ever test series on Indian soil.
It remains to be seen if India continues its series winning streak against New Zealand at home to retain its top position in the WTC 2023-25 points table. Finally, the second test match between India and New Zealand is going to be much more thrilling and guarantees to entertain fans with several captivating moments in a highly competitive clash