India’s road to World Test Championship (WTC) 2024-25 final will resume with the three-match Test against New Zealand. The first match of the series will be played at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru from October 16 to 20. It will be a crucial series for host to test their strengths and weaknesses ahead of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy starting next month Down Under. After a dominant 2-0 win against Bangladesh, India need to win three more matches to confirm their qualification in the WTC final at Lords next year, and will be looking to whitewash the Kiwis by 3-0 in the upcoming series.
Talking about New Zealand, they are looking for their first Test win in India for the last 36 years. Coming after a humiliating 0-2 loss against Sri Lanka, it won’t be an easy task for New Zealand to take on the strong Indian side in front of their home crowd. However, they will now look to change their fortunes in India under new skipper Tom Latham and finally register their first-ever Test series win in India.
Let’s have a look at important stats ahead of the first Test between India and New Zealand.
India vs New Zealand head-to-head in Test
Talking about their history in the longest format of the game, India have an upper hand against New Zealand in Test cricket. Both teams have played 62 Test matches against each other in Test cricket so far, out of which India won 22 times, while New Zealand come out victorious on 13 occasions. There have been 27 Test matches that have ended in a draw between India and New Zealand.
M.Chinnaswamy Stadium Pitch Report
India will play a Test match at the M. Chinnaswamy in Bengaluru for the first time since March, 2022. The surface of the Chinnaswamy has been favourable for the batters throughout the years. However, both the teams are likely top play an extra fast bowler with the bounce and pace the surface provides. However, as the match proceeds, the surface will be favorable for the spin bowlers. The average first innings score at this ground in Test cricket is around 360 runs.
India Test Records at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium
India were a part of all 24 Test matches that have been played at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru so far. Out of these 24 matches, India come out victorious on nine occasions and ended up losing six matches. Total nine Test matches have ended in a draw at this ground. The highest total by India in Bengaluru is 626 against Pakistan in 2007. The last Test match India played at M. Chinnaswamy was against Sri Lanka from March 12 to 14 in 2022. India registered a dominant win that game 238 runs in that game with Shreyas Iyer receiving player of the match for the scores of 92 and 67 respectively.
Most Runs in India vs New Zealand Test among active players
Star New Zealand batter Kane Williamson is the highest run scorer among current players from both teams in Test matches between India and New Zealand. The right-hander has amassed 871 runs from 13 Test matches against India so far at an average of 37.86 with two hundreds and five half-centuries. However, he won’t be playing in the first Test in Bengaluru.
Talking about India, Virat Kohli is the highest run scorer in New Zealand in the current Indian squad. The start batter has 866 runs to his name from 11 Test matches against India so far at an average of 45.57 along with three centuries and as many half-centuries.
Most Wickets in India vs New Zealand Test among active players
Talking about bowling, Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin is the all-time highest wicket taker in Test matches between India and New Zealand. The right-arm bowler has taken 66 scalps in nine matches against New Zealand so far.
Talking about the players from New Zealand, Tim Southee has taken most wickets in Test matches against India among the current squad of New Zealand for the upcoming Test series. The right-arm fast bowler has 52 wickets to his name from 11 Test matches played against India so far.
India vs New Zealand Test Series Squads
India: 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, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep. Travelling Reserves: Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Mayank Yadav and Prasidh Krishna
New Zealand: Devon Conway, Kane Williamson, Mark Chapman, Will Young, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (c), Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner, Rachin Ravindra, Tom Blundell (wk), Ajaz Patel, Ben Sears, Matt Henry, Tim Southee, William O'Rourke
