The first Test of the three-match series between India and New Zealand, initially set to start on October 16 at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru, was postponed due to rain. The toss took place on the second day, October 17, where Indian captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and opted to bat.
India enters this series with high confidence after recently defeating Bangladesh in both Test and T20 series, while New Zealand, missing key player Kane Williamson due to injury, comes off a loss to Sri Lanka in their previous Test series.
This is the first Test match between India and New Zealand in Bengaluru in 12 years, with the last encounter in 2012 resulting in a 5-wicket victory for India.
Probable Playing XIs:
New Zealand: Tom Latham (capt), Devon Conway, Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Blundell (wk), Glenn Phillips, Matt Henry, Tim Southee, Ajaz Patel, William O’Rourke.
India: Rohit Sharma (capt), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sarfaraz Khan, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj.
