India gear up for Kiwi challenge as rain threat looms large in Chinnaswamy

Following up on a phenomenal series win against a visiting Bangladesh side, India will be back in action as they gear up for a major challenge against New Zealand. India will be kickstarting their campaign with the first Test slated to be played from Wednesday at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, where the Rain Gods have made guest appearances already, intensifying the frown on the faces of the cricket fans.

As India is on a long journey to play ten Test matches, with two of them down and wins in the pocket, Rohit Sharma and company will be eyeing for more with the Kiwis all set to present a formidable challenge. With a similar squad named against New Zealand, India will be hopeful of coming out all guns blazing as this sequence of Tests can decide India’s fate for the upcoming WTC final while also serving as a crucial dress rehearsal ahead of the all-important Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

New Zealand hasn’t exactly been in the best of form away from home. Their one-off Test against Afghanistan was washed away while they were drubbed 2-0 by Sri Lanka in the latter’s backyard. With the chances of being in the WTC final dangling by a very slender thread, the Black Caps will try and eye for the most that they can secure from this bilateral series.

Venue Watch:

The surface in Chinnaswamy has always been a batting friendly one. The first three days will see the batters make merry before the cracks eventually start opening up, making way for the spinners to take centrestage. However, with the looming threat of incessant downpours, the seamers might just get the nod ahead of their turning teammates.

Head to Head:

Matches played: 62

India: 22

New Zealand: 13

Match Details:

Match – India vs New Zealand, 1st Test

Venue: Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru

Date: 16th October, 2024

Time: 9:30 AM

Squads:

India: Rohit Sharma (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant (w), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Sarfaraz Khan, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Dhruv Jurel, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep

New Zealand: Tom Latham (capt), Tom Blundell (wk), Michael Bracewell (1st Test only), Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Matt Henry, Daryl Mitchell, Will O'Rourke, Ajaz Patel, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Ben Sears, Ish Sodhi (2nd and 3rd Test only), Tim Southee, Kane Williamson, Will Young