India vs New Zealand, 1st Test Match Preview, Prediction and Live Streaming

The last time India contested New Zealand in a Test match was in 2021 when both teams met for the first-ever World Test Championship (WTC) final. Almost three years on from their last encounter, things are contrastingly different. Barring Devon Conway, Tom Latham, and Tim Southee, the New Zealand team has no one on the team from that game. India, on the other hand, have mostly only tasted success in the red-ball format since then. Unlike Rose Bowl, Bengaluru does not boast conditions better suited to the Kiwis’ skill. What Bengaluru does have, like the Rose Bowl on that day, is the forecast of rain.

India are on the top of the WTC table with no threats of getting dethroned anytime soon. But they don’t fancy taking any risks. After New Zealand tour, the second-placed Aussies await them for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and India would want not to leave much undone for that tour. This means they have to target the Kiwis. The same Kiwis who have had a not-so-good experience of cricket in this region this time around.

First, their one-off Test match against Afghanistan, which was supposed to be the appetizer to their Sub-continent tours, was cruelly washed out. This was followed by a 2-0 defeat against Sri Lanka a little more than a fortnight ago. And now they have to face table-toppers India to bank on whatever WTC final chances they have left.

Team Overview:

Both teams have decided to delay the playing XI as much as they can since the rain is recklessly messing with the conditions in Bengaluru. India will likely go with almost the same team that transpired a defeat for Bangladesh out of nowhere in Kanpur. There is some uncertainty around Shubman Gill’s participation in the first Test match. If he does miss out, Sarfaraz Khan will replace him, bringing KL Rahul to Number three. The real question is who will the fifth bowler be for India? Will they prioritize Kuldeep Yadav’s spin or get Akash Deep to complement Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammad Siraj? For now, it seems that India may prefer an extra pacer over a spinner but the final decision rests with rain.

Tom Latham took over the captaincy duties after Tim Southee resigned after the team’s series defeat against Sri Lanka. Southee will be the dangerman for India anyway as do his records show. However, his struggles in Sri Lanka raise a few too many questions regarding whether he will be able to keep his record in India unscathed. Will O’Rourke is New Zealand’s sigh of relief, and the conditions might inflate his importance significantly more. Rachin Ravindra will be another player to keep an eye on as the young player gets ready to put up a show in his ancestral country.

Head-to-Head Matches:

India have played 62 matches against New Zealand. With 22 wins, India dominate the match-up. Barring 27 games that ended in stalemate, the rest of 13 matches were won by the Kiwis. Interestingly, New Zealand have never won a series in India.

Weather and Pitch Report:

M Chinnaswamy Stadium has covers protecting the ground from the rain, which is forecasted to keep getting heavier for at least the next couple of days. Pacers can expect to get plenty of assistance from the washed surface. There is some green on the pitch as well which will make batting challenging early on.