New Zealand Tour of India 2024

IND vs NZ, 1st Test

Preview

The highly anticipated clash between team India and New Zealand for the first Test of the three-match series at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru from Wednesday, October 16, is set to ignite the cricketing world. 

As the series approaches, the hosts, riding on the back of a 2-0 victory against Bangladesh, and New Zealand, who tasted defeat in both their matches against Sri Lanka, are in contrasting forms. New Zealand's one-off Test against Afghanistan in Greater Noida was abandoned due to heavy rain and poor pitch conditions, adding to their recent struggles. 

The Blackcaps still need to win their previous five Test matches, whereas India won each of their last five longest-format games. They are presently the table toppers in the World Test Series 2023-25 rankings. 

The last time India and New Zealand met in a Test match was in 2021. The 2021 World Test Series Champions toured India, and the game ended in a draw. However, the second Test in Wankhede, Mumbai, saw India emerge victorious by a massive 372-run margin, a result that still resonates in the cricketing world. 

Match Details

Match: IND vs. NZ, 1st Test, New Zealand tour of India 2024

Date: Wednesday, October 16, 2024 - Sunday, October 20, 2024

Time: 09:30 AM

Venue: M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru

Pitch and Weather Report

The first Test match between India and New Zealand at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium is renowned for its consistent pace and bounce, which offers a balanced fight between the batters and bowlers. The Pace Bowlers will get decent movement, and the spinners will get minimal turns. The average score in the first innings at this ground is 358 runs. The highest team total posted at this venue is 626 runs, which India posted against Pakistan back in 2007. The team batting first will be looking to score 350 plus runs to get their bowlers a comfortable total to defend. The pitch conditions are likely to favour the team batting first, as it tends to deteriorate over the course of the match, making batting in the fourth innings challenging. 

There has been a good amount of rain in the city, and the weather forecast shows constant cloud cover throughout the Test with good chances of precipitation. This unpredictable weather adds an element of uncertainty and excitement to the match. The temperatures will range between 20 and 27 degrees Celsius during the matchdays, further adding to the challenge for the players. 

IND vs NZ Squads

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

NZ: Tom Latham (c/wk), 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

IND vs. NZ Probable Playing XIs

IND: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wk), KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Akash Deep, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj

NZ: Tom Latham (c), Devon Conway, Kane Williamson, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Blundell, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Ajaz Patel, William O’Rourke

Match Prediction

The hosts, India, are the clear favourites to win the first Test match against New Zealand. With the home conditions in their favour and a tremendous win against Bangladesh in their last Test series, India will be the heavyweights in this game. On the other hand, New Zealand will be playing without their former skipper, Kane Williamson, which will be a significant blow to their team. Under Tom Latham's leadership, the team is in a transitional phase. Rohit Sharma and Co. have a strong and confident batting and bowling line-up, which makes us believe that they are going to dominate the match at every point and keep their winning streak untouched.

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