IND vs NZ 1st Test Match Preview: India Set to Face New Zealand in Series Opener

The first match of the three-match Test series between the Indian national cricket team and the New Zealand national cricket team will be played from 16 October (Wednesday) at M.Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. The next two matches will be played at MCA Stadium in Pune (24-28 October) and Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai (1-5 November).

IND vs NZ  1st Test Preview

After winning the Test series against Bangladesh 2-0, India is now eyeing the Test series against New Zealand, the first Test of which will be played in Bengaluru from Wednesday. This Test series is very important for India from the World Test Championship (WTC) point of view. If India successfully wins this series 3-0, it will be much easier for them to reach the final of the WTC. India has not played much Test cricket in recent times, but Kohli has scored two centuries in his last eight Test innings. However, before this, he was not in form for a long time. Now with a big series against Australia coming up at the end of the year, people will be keen to know where his form stands. Shubman Gill has neck stiffness, which could lead to changes in a stable batting order. If he is not fit to play, then Sarfaraz Khan can be included in the playing XI in place of Gill, and KL Rahul can bat at number 3. The biggest question before the Indian team is whether they should play an additional spinner or give a chance to a third fast bowler. Its decision will probably depend on how much rain falls before the toss and the conditions at that time.

Talking about the New Zealand team, their Asia tour so far has not gone well. They had to face a 2-0 defeat in the Test series played against Sri Lanka. But in Bengaluru, they will try to make a strong comeback and their team is expert in this thing. Tim Southee was the captain of New Zealand till about two weeks ago. However, he left the captaincy after the clean sweep in Sri Lanka. He is just 18 wickets away from taking 400 wickets in Test cricket. Southee is an important part of New Zealand’s bowling attack. He can help his team by using his experience on Indian pitches.

India vs New Zealand 1st Test Match details

Date: 16th October, 2024

Day: Wednesday

Venue: M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru

Time: 9:30 AM

Pitch and weather conditions in India-New Zealand match

There is a high possibility of rain during this match. India’s practice session was also canceled on Tuesday due to rain. The pitch has been covered for the last several days. If the weather conditions remain the same and remain cloudy, then despite the match being held, the spinners will not be able to get the kind of help that is often expected on Indian pitches. Apart from this, fast bowlers can get help in such conditions. However, one thing is also that India has an eye on the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and in such a situation their bowlers can get a good opportunity for preparation.

IND vs NZ Predicted Playing XI

India – Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd Siraj, Akash Deep

New Zealand – Devon Conway, Tom Latham, Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Blundell, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Ajaz Patel, Will O’Rourke