On October 16, 2024, India and New Zealand will play the first Test match of a three-match Test series at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru, at 10:00 a.m. BDT. India has secured a dominant 2-0 Test series win against Bangladesh and is now gearing up for an exciting three-match Test series at home against New Zealand.
New Zealand will enter this series having struggled in Tests this year, coming off a 0-2 whitewash against Sri Lanka. To complicate matters, they will be without their star batsman, Kane Williamson, for the first Test due to injury.
IND vs NZ Team Preview & Squads
India
With a rating of 121, India is presently ranked second in the ICC Men’s Test Team Rankings and is playing fantastic Test cricket. Yashasvi Jaiswal and captain Rohit Sharma will start together, and they’ll try to give IND a thrilling start once more. Since making his debut, Jaiswal in particular has excelled in the format. In addition to him, it is anticipated that KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, and Shubman Gil will maintain their excellent form and stabilize the middle order.
Given that New Zealand’s hitters have previously struggled against Sri Lanka, Ashwin and Jadeja, who took 11 and 9 wickets, respectively, in the two Test matches against Bangladesh, will be favorites against them. Of course, there is also Jasprit Bumrah, who is presently regarded as the world’s best fast bowler.
New Zealand is currently ranked 6th in the ICC Men’s Test Team Rankings with a rating of 89. New Zealand will enter the Test series against India as the underdogs, but they have the potential to cause an upset.
Now, it will be up to Tom Latham, the new captain, to guide New Zealand. That won’t be simple against the potent bowling assault of India. The team’s leading scorer, Rachin Ravindra, scored 153 runs at an average of 38.25 in 4 innings. Rachin had a fantastic World Cup performance in India last year, and we anticipate him having a successful campaign in this one. As they have success in similar circumstances, you can also back Glenn Phillips, Daryl Mitchell, and Tom Blundell to score some runs.
The bowling seemed a bit flimsy. When Ajaz Patel last visited India, he performed admirably, claiming 17 wickets in 2 Test matches. The management may choose fast bowler William O’Rourke over Matt Henry because of his stellar performance in the Sri Lanka Test series.
New Zealand Squads
New Zealand
Tom Latham, Tom Blundell, Devon Conway, Kane Williamson, Will Young, Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Jacob Duffy, Matt Henry, William O’Rourke, Ajaz Patel, Tim Southee, Ben Sears.
Given the forecast for overcast skies for the opening few days of the Test, the captain who wins the toss may be inclined to bowl first. Throughout the Test, gloomy skies with sporadic thunderstorms are to be expected. There will be mild southwest-blowing breezes and beautiful weather.
Bengaluru’s M. Chinnaswamy Stadium is well known for its steady bounce and quick pace, which usually provide a fair match for batters and bowlers.
IND vs NZ Head-to-Head Stats of Last 5 Matches
In every one of their five games, IND won one of them and NZ won three.
Cricket analysts predict India has an 87% chance of winning.
Disclaimer: This cricket prediction is based on the author’s insights and analysis. Readers should consider the points discussed and draw their own conclusions.
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