World Test Champions New Zealand will take on India in the first Test match at the Green Park Stadium in Kanpur. Kane Williamson’s men will look to break the 33-year-old winless streak and also their maiden Test series win in India.
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have been rested and KL Rahul has been ruled out with an injury.
Ajinkya Rahane will be leading the side and there will be a lot of focus on the captain and the leading batters in Cheteshwar Pujara. Mayank Agarwal and Shubman Gill might open the innings while Shreyas Iyer is set to make debut.
India have also rested Rishabh Pant, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and the task is cut out for Rahul Dravid to assemble a formidable bowling attack. The spin department is potent as Axar Patel, R Ashwin, and Ravindra Jadeja will pose a lot of headaches for the visitors.
Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav are expected to be the first choice pacers and since Mohammad Siraj has injured his hand, he could well miss out.
For New Zealand, Kane Williamson will be returning to the Test series after he took a break from the T20Is. Trent Boult is not available for selection, but they are well served with the likes of Kyle Jamieson, Tim Southee, and Neil Wagner.
Ajaz Patel, Rachin Ravindra, and Mitchell Santner have the mettle to trouble the Indian batters who have not been at their best against spinners in the recent past.
India vs New Zealand in Test Series
India and New Zealand have played 24 series against one another. Out of the 24 series played so far, 13 have been won by India while New Zealand have won only 8. Three series have ended in a draw.
As far as the number of matches are concerned, India and New Zealand have played 61 matches against one another. 21 have been won by India while New Zealand have managed to win only 13 games and 1 match was abandoned. The remaining 26 games have ended in a draw.
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