India vs New Zealand 2024, 1st Test: Toss result and playing XIs for today's match, umpires list and pitch report

India v New Zealand - 1st Test - Source: Getty — India are batting first in the first Test against New Zealand. (Image Credits: Getty Images)

India are taking on New Zealand in the first Test of the three-match series at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. After Day 1 was completely washed out due to rain, play began on Day 2. India beat Bangladesh 2-0 in their previous Test assignment, while New Zealand went down to Sri Lanka by the same margin in an away series.

The Test series against the Kiwis is important for India as they need to win at least three of their remaining eight Test matches in the ongoing World Test Championship (WTC) to make it to the WTC final for the third time in a row. After the series against New Zealand, India will play five Tests in Australia.

IND vs NZ 1st Test toss result

India won the toss and decided to bat first. Rohit Sharma said:

“It has been under the covers and we do understand that it could be slightly sticky early on but the nature of the pitch is such that you would want to put runs on the board first.”

Expand Tweet

Shubman Gill was unavailable for selection due to a neck stiffness, so Sarfaraz Khan comes in. Also Kuldeep Yadav is in for Akash Deep.

IND vs NZ 1st Test match playing XIs

India: Rohit Sharma (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Sarfaraz Khan, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj

New Zealand: Tom Latham (c), Devon Conway, Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Blundell (wk), Glenn Phillips, Matt Henry, Tim Southee, Ajaz Patel, William O'Rourke

IND vs NZ 1st Test pitch report

In their pitch report, Simon Doull and Murali Kartik say:

“It has been under the covers, which means it has a lot of dampness. It is quite cold when you touch it. New ball could nip around early on and spinners could get some help too.”

IND vs NZ 1st Test match players list

India squad: Rohit Sharma (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Sarfaraz Khan, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd Siraj, Akash Deep, Shubman Gill, Axar Patel, Dhruv Jurel

Expand Tweet

New Zealand squad: Tom Latham (c), Devon Conway, Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Blundell (wk), Glenn Phillips, Matt Henry, Tim Southee, Ajaz Patel, William O'Rourke, Kane Williamson, Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Mitchell Santner, Jacob Duffy