The Pune Spot! How India failed in the second Test and conceded a massive home record | Cricket News

New Zealand players celebrate after their win against India in Pune. AP

NEW DELHI: Going into the second Test in Pune, New Zealand had just three wins in their Test cricket history in India.
One of them in Bengaluru – not even a week old – came after a 36-year gap.
With a dismal record on Indian soil and starting the series against the backdrop of a humiliating 2-0 defeat in Sri Lanka, no one would have thought the Kiwis had the guts to claim a victory against a mighty India.
But the Black Caps did it!
On Saturday, Tom Latham and Co. created history by defeating India by 113 runs in the second Test, stopping India's dominance at home.
It took just three days for the Black Caps to obliterate India's impressive record of 4,331 days and hand the hosts their first consecutive home defeat since 2012.
This proves that the win at Chinnaswamy Stadium last week was no fluke.
The defeat in Pune will now be a blot on India's cricket history as the defeat brought an end to an impressive record of not losing a Test series at home since England won in 2012.
But how did New Zealand achieve such a feat? Here's a look at the key moments of the Pune test This resulted in India recording a strong home record.
Toss and Panic changes in XI
Already trailing after trailing 1-0 in the series, India opted for the tried-and-tested approach – a spin-friendly track – to equalize.
When it comes to turn pitches, the most important thing is who bats fourth. When the coin landed in favor of Tom Latham, he did not hesitate to bat first, meaning India had to chase in the fourth innings.
Rohit Sharma was unlucky when it came to the toss but the three changes he and the team management made in the starting XI showed that India had hit the panic button after the defeat in Bengaluru.
While KL Rahul was dropped due to poor form, Washington Sundar replaced Kuldeep Yadav to strengthen the batting line-up. The omission of Mohammed Siraj was also a surprise for the Indian team.
Lively first inning performances from Conway and Rachin
In-form batsmen Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra played crucial knocks of 76 and 65 respectively in the first innings before Washington Sundar broke through the New Zealand batting line-up with a seven-for.
The pitch had started offering spin and bounce from day one and Sundar made excellent use of it to score a career best of 7 for 59. Amid the Sundar show, Conway and Rachin's knock coupled with useful contributions from the others took the Kiwis to a respectable total of 259 runs.
At this point the score looked subpar, but the pitch had indicated that batting would not be easy in future. And the loss of an aggressive Rohit Sharma towards the end of the first day for a nine-ball duck put India in trouble early on.
Another batting crash for India
While the 46 all-outs in Bengaluru – India's lowest total at home – were thanks to dismal conditions and a good close-range attack making the most of them, the hosts' vulnerabilities to spin were highlighted in Pune.
Rohit's fall on the first day had already put India under pressure and they needed a big partnership. However, India lost 9 wickets for 106 on the second day when left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner performed a spell to put India on the mat.
Irresponsible shot selection and failure to read Kiwi spinners' hands resulted in India being bowled out for 156. The collapse resulted in India conceding a huge 103-run lead.
The Latham Show
After scoring 15, 0 and 15 in the first three innings of the series, skipper Tom Latham found the perfect time to return to form as he scored a cracking 86 at the top to give the Kiwis one in their second attempt provided a solid platform.
While attacking the Indian bowlers, New Zealand never allowed India to get ahead and scored runs at a brisk pace.
Alongside Latham, Tom Blundell and Glenn Phillips scored 41 and 48 respectively to take New Zealand's lead past the 300-run mark.
On the third day, India managed to bowl out New Zealand for 255, but by then the visitors' lead had already reached 358 runs.
Another collapse after Jaiswal scare
Chasing an improbable total, India went out in full force as Yashasvi Jaiswal brutally attacked the opposition bowlers. Rohit's early strike shocked India before they raced to 81/1 and gave New Zealand a bit of a scare.
But the second session saw another batting loss for the Indians – 5 wickets lost for 51 runs – which opened the door to a historic victory.
Santner led from the front again and grabbed six wickets to end India's hopes of an improbable heist.
Ravindra Jadeja managed 42 late on, delaying the inevitable, but everything was done in the final hour of the final session.