THINKTANK: Skipper Rohit Sharma and coach Gautam Gambhir will need to pick the right combination in Pune. (AFP Photo)

Whether it’s Gill’s likely return, Pant’s fitness or Rahul’s form, hosts have a lot to think about ahead of Pune showdown…
PUNE: A Test match loss at home is a rarity in Indian cricket. The defeat in the first Test to the Kiwis will have an impact on how the Indian team management goes about its task ahead of the second Test in Pune starting on Thursday.
“India won’t be bogged down after their defeat in Bengaluru despite getting all out for 46,” said former India opener and former women’s team coach WV Raman. “This team has shown that it can bounce back quickly. They will continue to play aggressive cricket.”

A change in the playing XI will be almost forced for the second Test. Not just because India are trailing and the Gahunje pitch is likely to be different than Bengaluru’s, but also due to the Shubman Gill factor. The 25-year-old top-order batter is expected to be fit and available for the Test. And if India are to continue with the five batters, ‘keeper and five specialist bowlers’ combination, the axe will have to fall on KL Rahul after Sarfaraz Khan‘s belligerent 150.
“It’s a good headache to have,” said Raman. “A young man (Sarfaraz) doing well at the start of his international career is always a good sign.” Though Raman said that India should look at “one thing at a time” (implying winning this Test and levelling the series), he also added that if India are looking at Rahul as a crucial member on the tour to Australia, he should be given some game time. “He is a capable batter, who needs to get his form and confidence back.”
This was always going to be a bilateral series with multiple layers. India need to keep an eye on the World Test Championship (WTC) table and Australia series. And they must manage the workload of Rishabh Pant and Jasprit Bumrah.
Skipper Rohit Sharma has already hinted at the need to be extra careful with Pant, who did not keep wickets in the first Test but contributed a vital 99 with the bat. Will the management risk him in Pune?

India adding Washington Sundar – a left-handed batter and off-spinner – to the squad has added to the intrigue. But he gets a look-in only at the expense of either offie R Ashwin or left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav, especially if both Pant and Rahul are not in the XI.
Sundar (152 and 6/88 in both innings against Delhi in the Ranji Trophy) will boost the middle order and add flexibility. And we have not discussed left-arm finger spinner Axar Patel yet.
Raman said, “I look at Sundar as a batting allrounder. One way to play him is by asking him to open the innings.” But resting Yashasvi Jaiswal at this juncture may not make any sense.
Giving Akash Deep a go in place of below-par Mohammed Siraj may look like a desperate act. But it has long-term gains considering the question mark over Mohammed Shami’s availability for the tour Down Under. If Akash Deep is going to play as a third pacer in Australia, he would need game time too.
The Bengaluru defeat means Bumrah cannot be rested now to give both Siraj and Akash game time together. Pant’s 99 came after taking injections.
While India wait for Rishabh Pant to recover from the knee injury, TOI has learnt that the wicketkeeper had taken injections on his knee to bat in the second innings of the Bengaluru Test.
However, BCCI’s medical team is confident he will be ready to keep wickets in the second Test in Pune starting Thursday.
“He was in some pain after getting hit on the right knee during New Zealand’s first innings. He was given injections. The limp while running between the wickets came from numbness in the affected region. He just has a bruise now and should be fit in a day or two,” a BCCI source told TOI.
IF PANT IS RESTED AND GILL IS INCLUDED