The first Test between India and New Zealand is held at Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, the toss took place at 8:45 AM as it had been decided to have an early start on Day 2 as all of day one got completely washed off. Rohit-fully convincing despite over-casting temptations, chose to bat first after winning the toss on Thursday, October 17.
🚨 Playing XI 🚨
Take a look at #TeamIndia's Playing XI for the Test series opener 💪
Match Updates ▶️ https://t.co/8qhNBrs1td#INDvNZ | @IDFCFIRSTBANK pic.twitter.com/cUzPXCacri---Advertisement---— BCCI (@BCCI) October 17, 2024
No Shubman Gill And Akashdeep In India’s Squad
But the most startling was of India’s playing XI. The team made two changes from the group that had travelled over to Bangladesh and taken an unassailable 2-0 lead, having used the same XI in both Tests. Shubman Gill, who normally batted at No.3, was replaced by Sarfaraz Khan. Even though Gill was with the team on Thursday, he has been suffering from neck stiffness for days.
Also Read: IND Vs NZ, 1st Test: Play To Begin On Day 2, Rohit Sharma Wins The Toss & Elects To Bat First
“Shubman Gill was unavailable for selection of the first Test due to neck stiffness,” BCCI said.
Can Kuldeep Yadav Spin His Way Towards Win?
In total, the only change was in India’s bowling attack. Of course, there was no place for Akash Deep, while Kuldeep Yadav, the left-arm wrist spinner, returned at the expense of three specialist spinners instead of an extra seamer, all on a very wet and overcast day. Rohit felt that the management of the team took a lot of thought before deciding on the XI. Since the pitch has been under the covers for more than two days, it was bound to be damp, and they would want to bat first rather than have batsmen being required to bat last.
“(The pitch has) been under the covers for a couple of days and we do understand it will be sticky to start with. Keeping that in mind, we wanted to put runs on the board,” he said.
All eyes will be on Yashasvi Jaiswal as well, he has become the top opener for Team India and has been scoring consistent runs. He is also close to achieving 1500 runs and what his approach will be in this Test would be an exciting show to watch for the fans.
IND Vs NZ: Head-To-Head
Both India and New Zealand are strong teams in total they’ve played 62 matches out of which India has won 22 while New Zealand has won just 13. Another shocking aspect is that 27 matches has no outcome/result.
