9:32 AM Both openers Shubman Gill and Mayank Agarwal have walked out in the middle. Tim Southee will start with the new ball.
9:19 AM A dream come true moment for Shreyas Iyer, who receives his maiden Test cap from legendary Sunil Gavaskar.
9:10 AM: Pitch Report The pitch is giving every hint of being the rank turner like it has always been in the past. There is no grass on the pitch and some cracks are already opening up. Batting first is a wise choice as the wicket will be easier to bat on early but those cracks will only get wider and play up later on. Given the nature of the cracks, which are quite prominent, pacers will get some reverse swing as well.
9:08 AM Let's take a look at the complete line-up.
India Shubman Gill, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane(c), Shreyas Iyer, Wriddhiman Saha(w), Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav
New Zealand Tom Latham, Will Young, Kane Williamson(c), Ross Taylor, Henry Nicholls, Tom Blundell(w), Rachin Ravindra, Tim Southee, Ajaz Patel, Kyle Jamieson, William Somerville
9:02 AM India have opted to bat first after winning the toss. Shubman Gill and Mayank Agarwal are all set to open while Shreyas Iyer has been handed his Test debut by stand-in captain Ajinkya Rahane.
A stern examination from the Indian spin attack, led by Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, will await New Zealand when the two teams face each other in the first of the two Tests at the Green Park Stadium here on Thursday. While New Zealand, the current holders of the World Test Championship, will be looking to start the second cycle on a winning note, India will be eager to turn the tables on an opposition that has a 3-2 lead in the last five Test meetings.
Head to head in Test - India vs New Zealand
Total Matches - 60
India won - 21
New Zealand won - 13
Draws - 26
Toss Head to head last 6 matches
- ICC WTC final 2021 - New Zealand, elected to field first - New Zealand won by 8 wickets
- India tour of New Zealand 2nd Test - New Zealand, elected to field first - New Zealand won by 7 wickets
- India tour of New Zealand 1st Test - New Zealand, elected to field first - New Zealand won by 10 wickets
- New Zealand tour of India 3rd Test - India, elected to bat first - India won by 321 runs
- New Zealand tour of India 2nd Test - India, elected to bat first - India won by 178 runs
- New Zealand tour of India 1st Test - India, elected to bat first - India won by 197 runs
Probable Playing XI
India
Shubman Gill, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Shreyas Iyer, Ajinkya Rahane, Wriddhiman Saha, Ravindra Jadeja, R. Ashwin, Ishant Sharma, Axar Patel, Md. Siraj
New Zealand
Tom Blundell, Devon Conway, Kane Williamson, Ross Taylor, Tom Latham, Rachin Ravindra, Ajaz Patel, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Neil Wagner, Kyle Jamieson
Test Squad
India
Ajinkya Rahane (Captain), Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara (vice-captain), Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Wriddhiman Saha (wicket-keeper), KS Bharat (wicket-keeper), Ravindra Jadeja, R. Ashwin, Axar Patel, Jayant Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Md. Siraj, Prasidh Krishna
New Zealand
Kane Williamson (captain), Tom Blundell, Devon Conway, Kyle Jamieson, Tom Latham, Henry Nicholls, Ajaz Patel, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Will Somerville, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, Will Young, Neil Wagner
