The Indian cricket team, led by our Mumbaicha Raja Rohit Sharma, is braced for the Kiwi challenge in their upcoming assignment of the World Test Championship 2024-25.

With a 2-0 win in their previous series against neighbours Bangladesh, Team India has extended their lead at the top of the WTC standings, accounting for 74.24 percentage points.

Moreover, the Rohit Sharma-led side is on a six-match winning run in the longest format of the game. They will look to continue their incredible form against a New Zealand side who are on the back of a recent 2-0 Test series loss versus Sri Lanka. 

As far as squads are concerned, Team India has retained the majority of the squad from the Bangladesh series. Boom Boom will act as Hitman’s deputy.

Meanwhile, New Zealand will be led by their new full-time Test captain Tom Latham after Tim Southee stepped down following a 2-0 loss against Sri Lanka in the recently concluded series. 

Veteran Kane Williamson will miss the first Test due to a groin injury sustained during the Sri Lanka tour. Uncapped batter Mark Chapman has been roped in as his replacement.

All-rounder Michael Bracewell will be available only for the first Test before heading home due to personal reasons. Spinner Ish Sodhi will replace him for the remainder of the series thereafter.

What: India vs New Zealand, 3-match Test series.

When and where:

1st Test - Wednesday, October 16 (Bengaluru)

2nd Test - Thursday, October 24 (Pune)

3rd Test - Friday, November 1 (Mumbai)

What to look forward to: The last encounter in Tests between the two teams ended in India’s favour, where we won by a staggering 372 runs. Manifesting more such results in the upcoming series!

Furthermore, New Zealand’s troubles against spin bowling have been the talk of the town lately. Expect the Ashwin-Jadeja duo to unleash chaos on spin-friendly conditions.

India vs New Zealand: Stat check