The M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru will host the opening Test of India’s three-match series against New Zealand. After defeating Bangladesh 2-0 in the Test series last month, India’s Test team is back on the road. With 98 points and a PCT of 74.24 following their flawless sweep, India is firmly in the lead in the World Test Championship points standings.
With just one alteration from the Bangladesh match, the hosts released a 15-man roster for the series. Pacer Yash Dayal was not selected for this tour despite being a member of the 16-man team. In the upcoming series, the highly confident team captained by Rohit Sharma will want to repeat an outstanding showing.
Before the team heads to Australia for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, this will be India’s final home series.
However, New Zealand, led by Tom Latham, recently suffered a humiliating 2-0 series defeat to Sri Lanka. In the longest format of the game, the Kiwis have only won two of the seven Test matches they have played in 2024. New Zealand had come to India for a one-off Test match against Afghanistan prior to the Sri Lanka tour, but the match was called off owing to heavy weather before a single ball was played.
Before facing off against the powerful Indians, the tourists suffered some injuries in the interim. Due to a groin complaint he suffered during the Lanka series, star batsman Kane Williamson is expected to arrive later in the series. Mark Chapman, a left-hander, has been called up as a backup. On the eve of the first Test, bowler Ben Sears was also declared out of the series because of a knee issue. Jacob Duffy has been named by the management as his replacement.
Bengaluru’s storied M Chinnaswamy Stadium is getting ready to host its first Test match since 2022. The last time India and New Zealand played at this location was in 2012, when India prevailed by five wickets.
On the first Test’s opening day, rain will play possums.
Rain is predicted to be a spoiler on Day 1, but as the match goes on, the weather is predicted to get better. The Garden City saw heavy rainfall in the morning just one day before the first Test. Overcast conditions are expected for the remaining days.
Apart from that, on most days, poor lighting might ruin the game. After tea, the floodlights will probably be deployed.
Also Read: IND vs NZ: Ben Sears ruled out due to knee injury, Jacob Duffy announced replacement
The Bengaluru track is a batting haven, thus it will be best to bat first. Because of the favorable conditions and the possibility of early swing, the pacers will love bowling.
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