The India vs New Zealand Test series will begin tomorrow morning at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. It is the first bilateral series between India and New Zealand in Tests since 2021. The last time the two inaugural finalists of WTC collided in a bilateral series was in late 2021 in India.
Kanpur and Mumbai hosted the two Tests, with India winning the series by 1-0. This year, the three venues for the India vs New Zealand Test series are Bengaluru, Mumbai and Pune. Virat Kohli and Tom Latham were the captains of India and New Zealand in the previous WTC series between the two nations. While Latham will lead the Kiwis in the upcoming series as well, the Indian team will play under the captaincy of Rohit Sharma.
The Indian Test team has undergone some major changes in the last three years. Here’s a look at India’s playing XI from their last Test against NZ in 2021, and where the players are now.
Openers for India in last Test vs New Zealand – Mayank Agarwal and Shubman Gill
Mayank Agarwal scored a 150 in the first innings in that game for India. Shubman Gill opened the innings with him and returned with scores of 44 and 47. Gill continues to be a part of the Indian team now, while Agarwal has been dropped.
Middle Order – Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (c), Shreyas Iyer, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Axar Patel and Jayant Yadav
As mentioned ahead, Kohli captained India. The home side won that Test by 372 runs at the Wankhede Stadium. Kohli got out for a duck in the first innings but bounced back with an 84-ball 36 in the second innings. Even Pujara recorded a score of zero in the first innings but followed it up with 47. Iyer, Saha and Yadav had ordinary outings with the bat. Patel scored a half-ton in the first innings.
With the ball, Patel and Yadav bagged total eight wickets in two innings. Patel and Kohli are still a part of the Indian Test squad. Iyer got dropped earlier this year, while Yadav and Saha lost their spots long back. Even Pujara was dropped from the team in 2023.
Bowlers – Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammed Siraj and Umesh Yadav
India played with two specialist fast bowlers and a specialist spinner in that Test match. Mohammed Siraj and Ravichandran Ashwin continue to be in the Test squad even now. Umesh Yadav has disappeared from the Test circuit. In IPL 2024, Yadav turned up for Gujarat Titans.
