WTC table-toppers India will square off against the inaugural WTC champions New Zealand in the opening Test match at M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru from Wednesday onwards. It has been raining in Bengaluru for the last couple of days and both teams will hope that the rain gods stay away for the match.
We look at the current form, head-to-head, players to look out for, and squads of both teams in our match preview.
Current form for India: W W W W W
India doesn’t give an inch to the opposition while playing at home as they have been ruthless in the last decade. Team India lost their last Test series at home against England back in 2012 and since then they have won their previous 18 Test series.
Current form for New Zealand: L L Abandoned L L
While India will be full of confidence, New Zealand will be the opposite as they lost their last two Test matches against Sri Lanka. However, the Tom Latham-led team will be determined to turn the tables against the potent Indian team.
Head to Head: Matches: 62, Won by India: 22, Won by New Zealand: 13, Drawn: 27.
Players to look out for: Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, and Jasprit Bumrah will be the crucial players for India.
Kane Williamson, Glenn Phillips, Tom Latham, Tim Southee, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Daryl Mitchell, and Devon Conway will be the key players for the visitors.
India squad: Rohit Sharma (C), Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Sarfaraz Khan, Rishabh Pant (WK), Dhruv Jurel (WK), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Akash Deep.
New Zealand squad: Tom Latham (c), Tom Blundell (wk), Michael Bracewell (1st Test only), Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Matt Henry, Daryl Mitchell, Will O’Rourke, Ajaz Patel, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Ben Sears, Ish Sodhi (2nd and 3rd Test only), Tim Southee, Kane Williamson, Will Young.
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