India won the toss and elected to bowl first in the second one-day international against New Zealand in Wellington on Saturday, as persistent rain reduced the match to 47 overs a side and both teams named unchanged sides from the series opener. Captain Shubman Gill had no hesitation in asking the hosts to bat first on an overcast morning at the Hnry Stadium, with the pitch under covers and more showers possible as the day wore on.
The rain had already shaped the match before a ball was bowled. The toss and the start were delayed by about an hour, and the match officials agreed to a 47-over contest for both teams, with the possibility of further reductions if the weather worsened. The ground staff had the pitch and outfield covered before the scheduled start, and the captains were left to weigh the risk of more interruptions against the advantage of bowling first on a damp surface.
Gill, who has now won six of the seven tosses on India's tour of New Zealand, stuck with his call of tails and, when the coin came down tails for the seventh time on the tour, chose to field.
We will bowl first. No surprises, the conditions are overcast and the wicket was under covers. Yesterday's practice was called off because of rain, but we have prepared well and are in good spirits. Same team for us, Gill said at the toss. New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner was in agreement about the conditions, observing wryly that it looks like a good day to bowl first, and adding that his side would look to negotiate the early conditions and put up a competitive total.
Just as the captains were sure about what they wanted at the toss, they were also certain about their selections. Neither side made a change to the eleven that lined up in Auckland for the first match of the five-match series, where India secured a 1-0 lead. For India, that means Auqib Nabi keeps his place in the attack ahead of Mohammed Siraj, who joined the squad ahead of the second match but has to wait for his chance.
Siraj's omission underlines the faith the team management has placed in the young pace attack that delivered the win in the opener.
India's eleven reads: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill as captain, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, KL Rahul as wicketkeeper, Naman Dhir, Anshul Kamboj, Auqib Nabi, Gurnoor Brar and Arshdeep Singh. New Zealand's eleven is: Will Young, Tim Seifert, Henry Nicholls, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham as wicketkeeper, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner as captain, Nathan Smith, Kyle Jamieson, Jacob Duffy and Blair Tickner.
The context of the series gives the Wellington match added importance. India took a 1-0 lead with a five-wicket victory in the rain-affected opening one-day international at Eden Park in Auckland on Wednesday. In that match, too, rain had shortened the contest, and India's pacers Arshdeep Singh, Anshul Kamboj and Gurnoor Brar combined to bowl New Zealand out for 185 runs in 40.2 overs.
Virat Kohli then anchored the chase with 74 runs as India reached the target with five wickets in hand. A win in Wellington would give India a 2-0 lead with three matches still to play, while a New Zealand victory would level the series and set up a keenly contested remainder.
New Zealand have also been dealt a blow before the match. Opener Devon Conway, who sat out the first one-day international, was ruled out of the remainder of the series on Friday after suffering a concussion in a training collision ahead of the opener.
Conway's absence removes an experienced top-order batsman from the home side's plans and places greater responsibility on Will Young and Tim Seifert to give New Zealand a solid start against an Indian pace attack that was impressive in Auckland.
The Wellington weather has been a constant theme of the tour. Rain disrupted preparations for the second match, with India's practice session on the eve of the game called off, and the opening match in Auckland was also affected by showers. The Hnry Stadium is known for its changeable conditions, and the overcast skies and damp outfield in Wellington mean the ball is likely to swing early, which is precisely why both captains would have preferred to bowl first.
For India's bowlers, the conditions offer an opportunity to repeat their Auckland performance, when they exploited the moisture in the pitch to dismiss the hosts cheaply. If further rain intervenes during the day, the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method could come into play, adding another layer of calculation for both captains as they weigh the risks of the chase.
For the batsmen, the challenge is to survive the early movement and build a platform. Kohli's 74 in the first match showed how an experienced batsman can anchor a chase on a tricky surface, and India will look to him, Rohit Sharma and Gill to provide stability at the top of the order if New Zealand post a competitive total.
New Zealand, meanwhile, will need their middle order, led by Daryl Mitchell and Glenn Phillips, to rebuild if the early wickets fall, and Santner will be expected to contribute with both bat and ball as captain.
The series is the latest chapter in a long and competitive rivalry between the two sides in white-ball cricket. India arrived in New Zealand after a busy home season, and the tour has already produced one rain-affected match and one delayed start. With three more one-day internationals to follow after Wellington, the teams will hope for clearer weather, but for now the focus is on adapting to the conditions in front of them.
The toss has gone India's way for the sixth time in seven games on the tour, and Gill's decision to bowl first sets up a contest in which the new ball, the damp pitch and the overcast sky could all play a decisive role before the batsmen get their chance.
(Reporting based on ESPNcricinfo and The Statesman.)