Thu Oct 17 12:10:07 UTC 2024: ## India Opt to Bat First in Bengaluru Test Against New Zealand
**Bengaluru, India:** India won the toss and elected to bat first in the opening Test match against New Zealand at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. Captain Rohit Sharma made two changes to the team that played Bangladesh, with Shubman Gill and Akash Deep making way for Sarfaraz Khan and Kuldeep Yadav respectively.
Gill was ruled out due to a neck injury, with Sarfaraz taking his place in the batting order. Kuldeep replaces Deep, providing India with spin bowling options alongside Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja.
The Indian team will field two seamers in Mohammed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah, while New Zealand has opted for three pacers in their lineup.
The first day of the match was washed out due to rain, but the teams are looking to make the most of the remaining days.
“We wanted to bat first to try and get a good total on the board,” said Rohit Sharma after the toss.
**The Playing XI:**
**India:** Rohit Sharma (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Sarfaraz Khan, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj.
**New Zealand:** Tom Latham (c), Devon Conway, Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Blundell (wk), Glenn Phillips, Matt Henry, Tim Southee, Ajaz Patel, William O’Rourke.
The match is scheduled to start at 9:15 am IST.
First Piper 