Wellington: The Indian cricket team, which hoists the victory mark abroad, will face New Zealand in the first Test on the fast pitch of Wellington’s Basin Reserve from Friday, it will be the toughest challenge in the World Test Championship so far. The match between India and New Zealand will be played in Wellington on Friday from 4 am Indian time.
Virat Kohli’s team with the highest ranking in the ICC World Test Championship has 360 points and his hand looks heavy on paper, but Kane Williamson’s Kiwi team is the capital of moderation, which will prove useful on these pitches.
New Zealand last lost the Test series on their home soil in March 2017. Since then it has won five out of ten Tests here. After losing 3–0 to Australia, New Zealand’s intentions would be to return to the winning path, while the Indian team would like to prove that the victory in Australia last year was not insignificant and that the ability to win in unfavorable conditions is well worth it.
The basin reserve has always been challenging for both bowlers and batsmen due to the winds coming from the opposite direction. In such a situation, the new opening pair of Prithvi Shaw and Mayank Agarwal will have to face top bowlers like Trent Boult, Tim Southee and Kyle Jamieson, who are going to debut in Test cricket.
The Indian middle order must have breathed a sigh of relief in the absence of left-arm fast bowler Neil Wegner. Wegner is on a break due to the birth of his first child. In the New Zealand squad, all-rounder Daryl Mitchell and left-arm spinner Jaz Patel will get a place.
Captain Kohli can choose bowling on winning the toss so that Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma and Mohammed Shami can take advantage of the early support from the pitch. Kohli himself has admitted that his team will have to wait to adapt to the pitch, while Kane Williamson’s team is known for this restraint.
Kohli said, “No matter how restrained the opposing team is, we have to show more patience.” We cannot make such preparations that New Zealand puts pressure on us with its restraint. “
The New Zealand team can land with four fast bowlers and one fast bowler allrounder, while the Indian team management can field spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who has more variety than Ravindra Jadeja. The New Zealand team is strengthened by the return of Trent Boult and the Indian team Ishant following an injury. The Indian team will rely on tech-rich Cheteshwar Pujara, Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane.
Teams
India: Virat Kohli (captain), Mayank Agarwal, Prithvi Shaw, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Hanuma Vihari, Riddhiman Saha, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Jaspreet Bumrah, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja.
New Zealand: Kane Williamson (captain), Tom Blundell, Trent Boult, Colin de Grandhom, Kyle Jamieson, Tom Latham, Darryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Jaz Patel, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor and BJ Watling.