Southee in as New Zealand Opt to Bat Against India

Hyderabad: New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori won the toss and chose to bat in the second Test against India at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Friday.

While India have named an unchanged side for this Test, the Kiwis have made as many as three changes to their side. Martin Guptill comes in for Bradley Watling, Bret Arnel for Hamish Bennett and Tim Southee comes in for Jeetan Patel.

Stung by criticism after a draw in the first Test, India would look to approach the Test with hope and belief that they would live up to the reputation of being the top Test side.

This is going to be a landmark match for VVS Laxman, who will be playing his first Test in front of his home crowd, as the longer version of the game returns to the city after a gap of 22 years.

A sense of anticipation, that Sachin Tendulkar would get to his 50 Test hundreds in this match, also prevailed at the stadium a day ahead of the match.

After the twists and turns in the Ahmedabad match where Laxman and Harbhajan Singh's maiden Test century saved India the blushes, the hosts look determined to wrest the initiative from Vettori's side.

Thanks to the flat wicket at Motera, the spinners could hardly get any assistance but things could be slightly different here.

The wicket has a bit of bounce that will not only allow the batsmen to play strokes freely but will also offer some assistance to the bowlers.

As far as conditions are concerned, they are slightly damp as it rained heavily over the past few days. There is a growing belief that the track might just provide some seam movement in the first couple of hours.

New Zealand went into the Ahmedabad Test short of confidence after the 0-4 ODI hammering in Bangladesh but their fighting effort in the first match should give them the confidence needed to counter India on their own soil.

Injury to Hamish Bennett was a body blow for the Kiwis but his replacement, veteran all-rounder James Franklin, is no novice either.

The 30-year-old batted at number six and bowled first change during India's last tour of New Zealand in 2009.