Most experts predicted that Ajinkya Rahane will be dropped for the Mumbai Test vs New Zealand and though Rahane missed the 2nd Test, BCCI clarified that he was left out due to a minor hamstring strain, which he sustained while fielding on the final day of the Kanpur Test.
Virat Kohli, who was to anyway take back captaincy duties was a like-for-like replacement. Two more players - Ishant Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja were also ruled out due to injuries. While Ishant dislocated his left little finger during Day 5 of the 1st Test, Jadeja suffered a right forearm injury during the same match.
Mohammed Siraj and Jayant Yadav were included in the playing XI as their replacements. Jayant has fond memories of the Wankhede Stadium as he scored a hundred here in the 2016 Test vs England and also stitched a 241-run 9th wicket stand with skipper Virat Kohli.
Also read: IND vs NZL: Why can Wankhede be the stadium for Virat Kohli to strike form?