India are facing a must win situation in the second Test to save the series.
The hosts brought in Washington Sundar, Akash Deep and Shubman Gill in places of Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and KL Rahul respectively.
While Siraj and Rahul came under criticism after not being able to live up to the expectations in the opening Test in Bengaluru, Kuldeep was sidelined to accommodate Sundar as India wanted to add a bowling option who would take the ball away from the Kiwis left-handers.
Washington Sundar last played a Test for India against England in 2021. Overall, he has represented the country in four Tests, scoring 265 runs and claiming six wickets.
As far as Akash Deep is concerned, he has picked up eight wickets from three Tests in his career. After featuring in both Tests against Bangladesh, he missed the series opener against New Zealand.
Coming off an eight-wicket win in the Bengaluru Test, New Zealand won the toss and elected to bat first in Pune.
Speaking at the toss, India skipper Rohit Sharma reflected on the positives from the previous match and emphasized the importance of the first session.
"Would've batted as well. When you play a Test match like that, the first session didn't go our way. But we batted well in the second innings. We take a lot of positives from that and see how we can turn things around here. Always want to find ways to get back into the Test match when you're behind. That's what we did. Pitch is a little drier, yes. We do understand how important the first 10 overs are. Three changes - Siraj, KL, and Kuldeep miss out. Akash Deep, Washington, and Gill come in," Rohit said.
As India pressed the panic button with three changes in the playing XI, fans gave mixed reactions to the decision of the team management.
Here are the reactions: