The Indian cricket team is all set to take on New Zealand for the second and final Test of the series in Mumbai, starting today, November 3, 2021. However, bad weather and rain have forced the toss to be delayed, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), said in an update.

The update, shared in a Twitter post by the Indian cricket board, also said that the pitch inspection will happen at 9:30 AM (IST). After further inspection at 10:30AM, the umpires and match referee said that the toss will take place at 11:30AM and the match will start at 12 noon.

The update added that 78 overs will be bowled.

As for India, they will have their regular captain Virat Kohli coming back in the squad after a break. The Mumbai Test will be important for Kohli as he treads the fine line between tough and prudent in his selection calls.

After an anti-climactic end to the first Test where New Zealand escaped with a creditable draw defying the Indian spinners on a slow turner, the home team under its regular captain would certainly go for a slight rejig in the combination.

Also, at the Wankhede, the hosts may only get four days to enforce a positive result due to heavy rains that could be a dampener on day one and the underlying moisture which will also bring an extra Black Caps pacer, Neil Wagner, into the equation.

Weighing on the weather conditions, New Zealand pacer Tim Southee said that the drop in temperature and the covers being put on for longer periods of time can aid swing bowling.

Should this turns out to be the case, Southee, who had troubled the Indian batters even on an unresponsive Green Park track in the previous game, could prove fatal for the Indian line-up. Bring Wagner in the equation, and it can be too hot to handle for the Indians.

Asked how much of a help it will be for the pacers with pitch under the covers due to heavy rain, Southee said: “That’s something we don’t know too much about. We’ll have to wait to know about it till we are up there.

“That’s something we have to adapt to. You try and assess the conditions as quickly as you can. With the covers on, it may offer more swing but who knows,” Southee added.

He said that his team would need to adapt to the Wankhede wicket and also keep in mind that one needs to assess how it will behave for a prolonged period.

“I guess, the wicket has been under covers for a while now. We have to see how that shapes up tomorrow. Hopefully, Gary and Kane have a look at the wicket later this afternoon. It’s a different challenge but we also have to factor in how the wicket would behave for the next five-six days. We have to adapt to it,” he added.