The first Test of the current three-match series between India and New Zealand at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru will begin on Thursday (October 17) after Day 1 was canceled due to rain. Indian captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and chose to bat first. New Zealand has included three fast bowlers in their lineup for the series opener, but they will be without star batsman and former captain Kane Williamson.
Williamson, who holds the record for the most runs by a Kiwi in the five-day format, was not available for selection in the first Test. The right-handed batsman has not yet arrived in India.
Last week, when New Zealand announced their team for the series in India, selector Sam Wells mentioned that the 34-year-old cricketer would delay his trip due to a groin injury. Kane, who led the team to victory in the World Test Championship in 2021, felt groin pain during the second Test against Sri Lanka last month and needs time to recover before joining the team in India.
“The advice we got is that it’s best for Kane to rest and recover now, rather than risk making the injury worse,” Wells said in a statement on October 9. “We hope that if everything goes well with his recovery, Kane will be able to join the team later in the tour.”
Without Williamson, Mark Chapman was added to the Test team as a backup, but he didn’t get to play in the first Test.
Will Young will bat third for the Kiwis in the first Test, and Rachin Ravindra will bat fourth for the visiting team. After them, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Blundell, and Glenn Phillips will follow.
Playing XIs:
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
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
