What is Team India's record in Test matches at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune?
India will take on New Zealand in the second Test at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium (MCA) in Pune, starting Thursday, October 24. Down 1-0 in the three-match series, the hosts need to win the second Test to stay alive.
Not many gave the Kiwis a chance to win the opening Test at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. After all, they headed into the game having not won a single Test in India since November 1988. The visitors, however, came up with a memorable performance to stun India by eight wickets and register their first win in the country after 36 long years.
Hosts India will be keen to make a strong comeback in Pune. If we look at their record in Test cricket at the venue, they have played two Test matches at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune, winning and losing one apiece.
India's first Test at the MCA stadium in Pune was against Australia in February 2017. Left-arm spinner Steve O'Keefe registered identical figures of 6-35 in both innings as Australia stunned India by 333 runs. Batting first, the Aussies scored 260 and then bundled out India for 105. A second-innings ton from Steve Smith saw Australia set India a target of 441. The hosts folded up for 107.
Team India thumped South Africa by an innings and 137 runs in their second Test in Pune played in October 2019. India batted first after winning the toss and declared on 601-5. Virat Kohli slammed a career-best 254*, Mayank Agarwal hit 108, while Ravindra Jadeja was dismissed for 91.
South Africa responded with 275 as Ravichandran Ashwin claimed four wickets and Umesh Yadav three. Asked to follow on, the Proteas were bundled out for 189 in 67.2 overs. Jadeja and Umesh picked up three scalps each, while Ashwin chipped in with two.
India's remaining matches in the 2023-25 WTC cycle after the Pune Test
Following the conclusion of the second Test in Pune, India and New Zealand will clash in the third and final Test of the series at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai from November 1 to November 5.
After the home series against the Kiwis, India will fly to Australia for a five-match Test series to be played as part of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The series will begin with the opening Test in Perth on November 22. Subsequent matches will be played in Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, and Sydney.