PUNE, India (AP) — Ravichandran Ashwin took two wickets as New Zealand reached 92-2 at lunch on the first day of the second cricket test against India on Thursday.
Ashwin took 2-33 in 12 overs to put the brakes on New Zealand’s scoring after it had won the toss and opted to bat. Devon Conway was unbeaten on 47 runs, with Rachin Ravindra (5 not out) also at the crease.
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England's Ben Duckett plays a shot during the day one of third test cricket match between Pakistan and England, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)
India's Ravichandran Ashwin , second from left, celebrates the dismissal of New Zealand's Will Young with his team players during the day one of the second cricket test match between India and New Zealand at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium , in Pune, India, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
India's Sarfaraz Khan, right, appeals for the wicket of New Zealand's Will Young , left, during the day one of the second cricket test match between India and New Zealand at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium , in Pune, India, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
India's Ravindra Jadeja appeals unsuccessfully for the wicket of New Zealand's Devon Conway during the day one of the second cricket test match between India and New Zealand at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium , in Pune, India, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
India's Yashasvi Jaiswal fields the ball during the day one of the second cricket test match between India and New Zealand at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium , in Pune, India, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
India's Ravichandran Ashwin , second from right, celebrates the dismissal of New Zealand's Will Young with his team players during the day one of the second cricket test match between India and New Zealand at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium , in Pune, India, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
New Zealand's captain Tom Latham plays a shot during the day one of the second cricket test match between India and New Zealand at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium , in Pune, India, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
New Zealand's Devon Conway plays a shot during the day one of the second cricket test match between India and New Zealand at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium , in Pune, India, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
India's captain Rohit Sharma, left, chats with India's Jasprit Bumrah during the day one of the second cricket test match between India and New Zealand at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium , in Pune, India, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
New Zealand's captain Tom Latham walks off the field after losing his wicket during the day one of the second cricket test match between India and New Zealand at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium , in Pune, India, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
India's Jasprit Bumrah fields the ball during the day one of the second cricket test match between India and New Zealand at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium , in Pune, India, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
The ball hits the helmet of New Zealand's Will Young as he attempts to play a shot on a delivery by India's Ravindra Jadeja during the day five of the first cricket test match between India and New Zealand at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, in Bengaluru, India, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)
New Zealand's Rachin Ravindra, left, attends a training session ahead of their second test cricket match against India at Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, in Pune, India, Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
New Zealand made a good start with Conway and Tom Latham putting on 32 off 48 balls for the first wicket. Conway also put on 44 off 97 balls for the second wicket with Will Young, who scored 18 runs.
India trails the three-match series 1-0 after New Zealand beat the home side by eight wickets in the first test. It was New Zealand's first test win in India since 1988.
India made three changes — Lokesh Rahul has been left out, while fit-again Shubman Gill returns to the playing side. In-form Sarfaraz Khan, who scored 150 runs in the second innings at Bengaluru in the first test, keeps his spot.
India’s wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant, who was hit on the knee during the first test, was fit again and took the gloves for the second test.
For New Zealand, Kane Williamson continued to miss action as he has not recovered from a groin injury sustained in Sri Lanka. The visitors made one change from the first test — pacer Matt Henry misses out due to an injury, with left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner coming into the playing XI.
India has been down 1-0 down in a home test series several times — against Australia in 2017 and against England in 2021 and 2024. All three times, they came back to win the series, but those involved four-test series, not three.
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England's Ben Duckett plays a shot during the day one of third test cricket match between Pakistan and England, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)
India's Ravichandran Ashwin , second from left, celebrates the dismissal of New Zealand's Will Young with his team players during the day one of the second cricket test match between India and New Zealand at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium , in Pune, India, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
India's Sarfaraz Khan, right, appeals for the wicket of New Zealand's Will Young , left, during the day one of the second cricket test match between India and New Zealand at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium , in Pune, India, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
India's Ravindra Jadeja appeals unsuccessfully for the wicket of New Zealand's Devon Conway during the day one of the second cricket test match between India and New Zealand at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium , in Pune, India, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
India's Yashasvi Jaiswal fields the ball during the day one of the second cricket test match between India and New Zealand at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium , in Pune, India, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
India's Ravichandran Ashwin , second from right, celebrates the dismissal of New Zealand's Will Young with his team players during the day one of the second cricket test match between India and New Zealand at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium , in Pune, India, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
New Zealand's captain Tom Latham plays a shot during the day one of the second cricket test match between India and New Zealand at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium , in Pune, India, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
New Zealand's Devon Conway plays a shot during the day one of the second cricket test match between India and New Zealand at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium , in Pune, India, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
India's captain Rohit Sharma, left, chats with India's Jasprit Bumrah during the day one of the second cricket test match between India and New Zealand at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium , in Pune, India, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
New Zealand's captain Tom Latham walks off the field after losing his wicket during the day one of the second cricket test match between India and New Zealand at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium , in Pune, India, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
India's Jasprit Bumrah fields the ball during the day one of the second cricket test match between India and New Zealand at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium , in Pune, India, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
The ball hits the helmet of New Zealand's Will Young as he attempts to play a shot on a delivery by India's Ravindra Jadeja during the day five of the first cricket test match between India and New Zealand at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, in Bengaluru, India, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)
New Zealand's Rachin Ravindra, left, attends a training session ahead of their second test cricket match against India at Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, in Pune, India, Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
