IND vs NZ 1st Test | Playing 11 Prediction, Preview And Live Streaming

Virat Kohli during a training session [Source: @BCCI/x]

Team India and New Zealand will collide in the first Test of their three-match series between October 16 and October 20. The much-awaited series opener will be hosted by the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru and the action will commence from 9:30 AM IST onwards on each match day. The series constitutes a part of the ongoing 2023-25 WTC cycle.

IND vs NZ 1st Test: Team Previews

India

Team India recently trounced Bangladesh and England with emphatic margins at home. Ahead of their all-important tour of Australia, the Indian team will be aiming to extend their six-match winning streak in a bid to gain some momentum and strengthen their claim at the top of the 2023-25 WTC points table.

Senior batters like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and dashing all-rounders like Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja will start out as some of the key members of the Indian team. Rising stars like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill and comeback man Rishabh Pant will be expected to sustain their prolific run with the bat before Australia tour.

New Zealand

The New Zealand cricket team has lost successive Test series to Sri Lanka (away) and Australia (at home) with identical 0-2 margins in the past seven months. Struggling at number six on the WTC points table, the 2021 winners will be aiming to secure some late wins as the current cycle heads into its business end.

In an early jolt to the visitors, young paceman Ben Sears was ruled out of the team due to a knee injury, allowing uncapped Jacob Duffy to take his place. As New Zealand aim for some subcontinental redemption, senior men Kane Williamson, Tim Southee and spin-bowling all-rounders like Rachin Ravindra and Glenn Phillips will be expected to come up clutch for the tourists.

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IND vs NZ 1st Test: Match Details & Live Streaming

IND vs NZ 1st Test: M. Chinnaswamy Stadium Pitch Report

The M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru is generally known to be conducive for batters, with something on offer for the spinners as well. The pitch will likely slow down as the match progresses to allow spinners to dictate terms in the contest. The average first innings total at the venue has turned out to be 358. Considering the overall track record of the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, the captain winning the toss will likely opt to bat first.

IND vs NZ 1st Test: Probable Playing XIs

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

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

IND vs NZ 1st Test: Winner Prediction

Team India will start out as overwhelming favorites to defeat a struggling New Zealand team and take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

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