Preview:
After having dominated the proceedings in the T20I series, India will battle it out against New Zealand in the first Test on Thursday, November 25. Kane Williamson who was rested in the T20I series will return to the setup for the red ball games.
The last time the two teams contested against each other in the longest format was in the inaugural World Test Championship final wherein New Zealand was crowned as champions. In absence of Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane will captain the side. KL Rahul will miss the series owing to an injury. Heading into the first Test, both the teams will be determined to put their ‘A’ game to the fore.
Match Details:
India vs New Zealand, 1st Test Match
Venue: Green Park, Kanpur
Date and Time: November 25 at 9:30 AM IST
Live Streaming: Star Sports Network
Pitch Report:
The spinners are expected to get good assistance from this surface. The batters might also get an edge in the first two days of the Test on this deck.
Probable Playing XIs for IND vs NZ:
India
Mayank Agarwal, Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane (c), Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Axar Patel, Umesh Yadav/Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Siraj
New Zealand
Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Kane Williamson, Ross Taylor, Henry Nicholls, Tom Blundell (wk), Will Somerville/Kyle Jamieson, Mitchell Santner, Ajaz Patel, Tim Southee, Neil Wagner
Top Picks for IND vs NZ 11Wickets Fantasy Cricket
Kane Williamson has appeared to be in a sublime form in Test cricket lately. He will be determined to take the momentum further for the side. He can be a good pick for this match.
Though Cheteshwar Pujara has struggled to make a larger impact in the recent past, his record against New Zealand is quite impressive. In 10 matches against them, he has scored 772 runs at an average of 43. He can be the other good pick for this match.
Ravichandran Ashwin has a plethora of experience under his sleeves. With his variations, he can prove lethal for the team. The spinner can be a good pick for this match.
Suggested Playing XI No.1 for IND vs NZ 11Wickets Fantasy Cricket
Wriddhiman Saha, Tom Blundell, Kane Williamson (c), Cheteshwar Pujara (vc), Mayank Agarwal, Ravichandran Ashwin, Mitchell Santner, Ravindra Jadeja, Neil Wagner, Mohammed Siraj, Kyle Jamieson
Suggested Playing XI No.2 for IND vs NZ 11Wickets Fantasy Cricket
Wriddhiman Saha, Kane Williamson, Ross Taylor, Ajinkya Rahane, Mayank Agarwal, Ravichandran Ashwin (c), Mitchell Santner, Axar Patel, Kyle Jamieson (vc), Ishant Sharma, Tim Southee
Captain and Vice-Captain Options:
Captain Options: Kane Williamson and Ravichandran Ashwin
Vice-Captain Options: Cheteshwar Pujara and Kyle Jamieson
