Less than a month following a terrific Test series win against Bangladesh, Team India will take on New Zealand in a three-match Test series beginning Wednesday, October 16, 2024.

Mumbaicha Raja Rohit Sharma and pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah have been named the captain and vice-captain, respectively, of the 15-man squad, which looks similar to the crew that was selected for the Bangladesh Tests.

Boom Boom finished as the joint-highest wicket-taker in that series with 11 wickets alongside Ravichandran Ashwin and will look to carry the momentum in the upcoming series as well.

Moreover, it would be the first instance where Rohit Sharma would lead the team in Tests against the inaugural WTC champions.

The two teams last played a Test match in December 2021, where India emerged victorious by 372 runs at our very own home, Wankhede Stadium! 

Talking about the World Test Championship (WTC) standings, the Indian cricket team currently occupies the top spot with 74.24% points from 11 matches, well ahead of their closest competitors Australia, who are at 62.50% points.

A win in each of the three Tests against the Kiwis would take them a step closer to the WTC final, which is scheduled to take place at the Lord’s Cricket Ground, London in June 2025.

India’s squad for three Tests against New Zealand: Rohit Sharma (captain), Jasprit Bumrah (vice-captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Sarfaraz Khan, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Dhruv Jurel (wicket-keeper), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep.