Will India Play 3 Fast Bowlers In 1st Test Against New Zealand? Rohit Sharma Shares Insights

Indian players before the 1st Test vs NZ (Source:@rushiii_12/X.com)

India are all set to take on New Zealand in the three-match Test series starting from 16th of October and as always, there is excitement around India's playing 11 for the opening Test. India have a balanced side at their disposal and have lot of options, and with rain also joining in to create more confusion, it would be interesting to see what combination Indian prefer.

Traditionally, New Zealand batters are known to struggle against spinners and so there is a temptation to play three spinners in the XI. Now, ahead of the first Test, in the all-important press conference, Rohit Sharma has opened up about India's plans for the first Test. He stated that it all depends on the conditions and they will take the call on the match-day with rain also likely to play a big part in the Test. 

"It all depends on the conditions. Today it has been raining. The pitch is under covers. We will take a call tomorrow morning on 3 pacers or 2 pacers and our best playing XI. We are keeping our options open."

India Might Drop Siraj If They Go With Two Pacers

India played three seamers in both the Tests against Bangladesh and with the rain around, they might go with the same combination again. However, if India do go with seamers, then Mohammed Siraj might miss the cut as Akash Deep has been pretty impressive so far and team management would like to give him more game-time ahead of Australia series.

The third spinner would be a toss up between Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel. Both have done well in the recent past and Axar will provide more depth in the batting department. Kuldeep Yadav, on the other hand is a genuine wicket-taker and could be handy against New Zealand batters who tend to struggle against wrist spin.

---

ALSO READ

'Had Swelling In His Knees...,' Rohit Sharma Spills Harsh Truth After Shami's Fake News Claims

---