(Cricket news) India and New Zealand are all set to kick off the 2nd and final Test at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai. The 1st Test ended in a draw after New Zealand survived despite having just one wicket in hand. The last time India lost a Test series at home was against England in 2013. Rahul Dravid will not be keen on starting his tenure as coach with a home series loss. 

India Possible Playing XI:

Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer, Ravindra Jadeja, K.S Bharat, Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Siraj

A lot of reports suggest that Mayank Agarwal may be the player to make way for Virat Kohli which would leave Cheteshwar Pujara to open the batting. Wriddhiman Saha didn't keep the wickets in the last match due to a stiff neck. Bharat is likely to be handed a Test debut. Ishant Sharma was ineffective in Kanpur and didn't pick up a single wicket and Siraj is the obvious choice to replace him. 

Also read: Alex Carey set to make Test debut and don the gloves in the almighty Ashes at The Gabba

New Zealand Possible Playing XI:

Will Young, Tom Latham, Kane Williamson, Ross Taylor, Henry Nicholas, Tom Blundell, Rachin Ravindra, Kyle Jamieson, Tim Southee, Neil Wagner, Ajaz Patel.

New Zealand will want to play with 3 spinners which is not a bad idea in Mumbai. Neil Wagner was thoroughly missed in the last game as he is someone who can trouble the batter's regardless of the conditions. Despite his contributions with the willow, Will Sommerville should make way for Wagner as he didn't pick a wicket despite bowling 40 overs in the last game. There is a chance that New Zealand still go with Sommerville and get Daryl Mitchell instead of Henry Nicholas as a pace bowling option. 

Weather report & Pitch report:

Weather was supposed to be clear and sunny but showers wouldn't be too surprising in Mumbai where it has rained in the past few days. Wankhede is the most seam friendly pitch in India. There hasn't been a single match played here since 2020 which means that the pitch will be very fresh. It is expected to not turn much and have more consistent bounce than Kanpur. The captain who wins the toss should look to bat first and get some runs on the board.

India should get the job done and win the series but New Zealand will be resilient as always. India may end up regretting their decision to rest the likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant and Mohammed Shami if the result doesn't go their way.