India vs New Zealand 1st Test Location: M. Chinnaswarmy Stadium, Bengaluru
India vs New Zealand 1st Test Date: Wed, October 16 – Sun, October 20
BetXchange India VS New Zealand 1st ODI Odds:
History
India and New Zealand will clash in a three-match series on the subcontinent beginning this Wednesday. The first Test will take place in Bengaluru, followed by matches in Pune and Mumbai.
This is a big series for both countries. India is currently at the top of the Men’s ICC Test World Rankings and is looking for a place in the final of the 2023-2025 ICC World Test Championship to be played at Lord’s, London, next June. They have eight Tests remaining to secure their spot, three against the Black Caps and five against Australia from November through the New Year.
New Zealand will likely be on the outside looking in when it comes to the final. They are currently sixth out of the nine teams in the league table, a table determined by percentage points rather than total points, as the nine nations don’t all play the same number of games.
This is best shown by fourth-placed England, the most prolific Test-playing country with 17 Tests this cycle. South Africa follows them in fifth, with the Proteas playing just six Tests so far in the league.
This is a Test matchup that has a high number of draws in its history. In 62 previous meetings, 27 have ended in a draw. India has the most wins with 22, while New Zealand has only been victorious 13 times. It is worth noting that New Zealand has won three of the last five meetings between the countries in the red ball format, though those Tests were on home soil when the tourists here were in better form.
India
Mohammad Shami is still missing from the squad, with India looking like they will go spin-heavy over the pace that Shami brings. There are places in the traveling reserve party for Harshit Rana and Mayank Yadav, suggesting Shami has some work to do to get back in contention for a place.
Jasprit Bumrah has been named vice-captain in a strong move that shows his pace in the pecking order. The series coming up in Australia will be long and arduous, so putting Bumrah in this role feels important in case captain Rohit Sharma takes an est off for personal reasons.
New Zealand
It is fair to say that this is a New Zealand team in crisis. A planned warmup Test against Afghanistan was washed out, and their two-test series in Sri Lanka did not go according to plan.
The first Test in Galle was lost by 63 runs. The Sri Lankan spinners blew away the Black Caps in the second Test. They managed just 88 runs in their first innings before Sri Lanka raced out to 602/5 declared. The result was a defeat by an innings and 154 runs.
Kane Williamson will miss at least the first Test with a groin issue, while there is a stand-in captain with Tim Southee, who has stepped down after the Sri Lanka debacle.
Best Bets
New Zealand has been remarkably suspect to spin during this Test cycle. Willaimson has been their best bat against spinners, so missing his runs will be a severe problem. Take the hosts to win, while picking a spinner (Ravichandran Aswin or Ravindra Jadeja) to be the best bowler for India.
