India vs New Zealand 2024 1st Test Best Predicted Playing 11
Jasprit Bumrah, the new Vice Captain in our analysis for the playing 11 for India vs New Zealand 2024 Test series.
With just a few days left, the BCCI on Friday, October 11th officially announced the squad for Team India for the Test series vs New Zealand. In a not-so-surprising change, Team India have repeated the same squad that played against Bangladesh, albeit with just one change. The team has left out Yash Dayal, who anyway wouldn’t be getting a place in the playing 11 with Akash Deep already proving himself in the Bangladesh test series.
But after a successful Test series vs Bangladesh, the mission WTC Final 2023 now moves to the New Zealand series, where both teams as a part of the WTC campaign will be playing 3 Tests against each other. It has been a busy month not just for the players, but also for the fans, who are also busy with all the news surrounding Indian Premier League 2025 Player Retentions. There have been back-to-back ongoing T20 matches, and in a few days, an all-important Test series shall also begin.
The New Zealand series will be an important series for India from the WTC Final 2025 qualification perspective. While India are already at the top of the WTC table with a PCT of 74%, the team will need to win at least 2-1 or 3-0 so that there is no added pressure on India during the Australia Test series. So, does India have the squad that can defeat the Kiwis? Well, let’s look at the best predicted playing 11 for Team India for the Test series vs New Zealand.
India vs New Zealand 2024 Official Test Squad and Players List:
- KL Rahul
- Rohit Sharma (c)
- Sarfaraz Khan
- Shubman Gill
- Virat Kohli
- Yashasvi Jaiswal
- Dhruv Jurel (wk)
- Rishabh Pant (wk)
- Axar Patel
- Ravindra Jadeja
- Ravichandran Ashwin
- Akash Deep
- Jasprit Bumrah (vc)
- Kuldeep Yadav
- Mohammed Siraj
India vs New Zealand 2024 Test Playing 11 Analyzed:
If we have seen the squad for Team India, they played the same playing 11 in both the Test matches vs Bangladesh. Akash Deep made his debut in the first Test, and was impressive not only in the first Test but also in the second Test as well. So, will India continue to play Akash Deep in the New Zealand Test series as well? Well, this answer for this depends on the pitch that the Test series is played on.
Now, India play New Zealand at Bengaluru, Pune, and Mumbai. Barring Pune, which assists spin in general, the pitches at Bengaluru and Mumbai are pace-friendly in general. So, India should ideally play Akash Deep in the Bengaluru and Mumbai Test matches, and if the pitch at Pune actually assists spin, then Kuldeep Yadav should be the go-to man for India in the second Test match at Pune.
So, overall, expect India to play Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rohit Sharma as openers. Shubman Gill should bat at 3, Virat Kohli, who is currently struggling for form to play bat at 4, Rishabh Pant at 5, KL Rahul at 6, and then all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin. Finally, the primary bowling should be led by three pacers, Jasrprit Bumrah, Akash Deep, and Mohammed Siraj.
India vs New Zealand 2024 Test Series Best Predicted Playing 11:
- Yashasvi Jaiswal
- Rohit Sharma (c)
- Shubman Gill
- Virat Kohli
- Rishabh Pant (wk)
- KL Rahul
- Ravindra Jadeja
- Ravichandran Ashwin
- Akash Deep
- Jasprit Bumrah
- Mohammed Siraj
Talking about New Zealand’s playing 11, the team should mostly repeat the same playing 11 that played against Sri Lanka. If Kane Williamson is fit, he should continue to play at 3, but if not, Will Young should take his place in the playing 11. Rest Tom Latham and Conway should open, and Rachin, Daryl, Phillips, and Blundell should form the rest of the batting. Whereas bowling should be led by Santner, Southee, Ajaz Patel, and William O’Rourke.
India vs New Zealand 2024 Test Series Best Predicted Playing 11:
- Tom Latham (c)
- Devon Conway
- Kane Williamson
- Rachin Ravindra
- Daryl Mitchell
- Tom Blundell
- Glenn Phillips
- Mitchell Santner
- Tim Southee
- Ajaz Patel
- William O’Rourke
Ind vs NZ 2024 Test Series Fixtures
- 1st Test, October 16-20, 9:30 am onwards @ Bengaluru
- 2nd Test, October 24-28, 9:30 am onwards @ Pune
- 3rd Test, November 1-5, 9:30 am onwards @ Mumbai