The first Test of the series between India and New Zealand in Bengaluru has so far been a frustrating affair for both the teams and their fans. The city has seen incessant rain over the past few days, resulting in sheer water-logging here that has made life miserable for regular citizens, besides affecting a lot of the practice for both teams in the build-up to the first game on October 16, Wednesday.
India vs New Zealand, 1st Test: Toss Delayed
The ground is under cover and rain is definitely disrupting the play.
With the two teams all set to face each other at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, there’s always the threat of rain staring everybody on their face. The morning has a slight 7% to 8% probability of rain by between 8 AM and noon. But the chances escalate enormously going into the day. The Kiwi team, who are usually strong against India on overcast conditions, holds much hope of capitalizing on the weather. Conditions can favor fast bowlers even significantly, New Zealand captain Tom Latham mentioned.
“We did not expect this kind of weather; it’s not as hot as we anticipated, which could potentially bring the fast bowlers into play. We’ll review the previous game played here, but it’s hard to say for sure at the moment,” Latham said in the pre-match press conference on Tuesday.
Orange Alert In Bengaluru
According To AccuWeather, there is a 100% cloud cover in the morning and the day will likely witness a thunderstorm.
An ‘orange’ alert has been issued by the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) in respect of rains that are tipped to be heavy in Bengaluru, said a PTI report. The government order had also declared the closure of all aided and private schools, Anganwadi centers, and high schools of the city today on October 16, 2024.
“Due to continuous rains in Bengaluru, the Met Department has issued an orange alert for the next two days. As a precautionary measure in the interest of students, all taluk Anganwadi centres, private/aided primary and high schools of Bengaluru City will be closed on Wednesday,” a government order stated.
India Vs New Zealand: Full Squads
The Tests are extremely crucial for India as the team will be eyeing a place in WTC Finals, while New Zealand will be aiming to bounce back coming to India after shocking defeat against Sri Lanka.
India squad: Rohit Sharma (c), Jasprit Bumrah (vc), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Sarfaraz Khan, Rishabh Pant (wk), Dhruv Jurel (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep.
New Zealand squad: Tom Latham (C), Tom Blundell (WK), Devon Conway, Michael Bracewell (1st Test only), Mark Chapman, Matt Henry, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Will O’Rourke, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Jacob Duffy, Ish Sodhi (2nd and 3rd Test only), Tim Southee, Will Young, Kane Williamson
