Thu Oct 17 04:10:00 UTC 2024: ## India vs New Zealand: Sarfaraz Khan Makes Debut as India Aims for Another Series Win

**Bengaluru:** India has made significant changes to their playing XI for the first Test against New Zealand, starting today in Bengaluru. The team has opted for Sarfaraz Khan in place of the injured Shubman Gill, while Kuldeep Yadav replaces Akash Deep as the third spinner on a pitch expected to be spin-friendly.

The rest of the team remains largely unchanged from the Bangladesh series. Indian captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and elected to bat first. However, the first day of the match was washed out due to persistent rain in Bengaluru.

This is the 13th Test series between the two teams, with India aiming for their 11th series victory against New Zealand. The Kiwis are yet to win a bilateral Test series on Indian soil.

**Key Highlights:**

* India’s playing XI features Sarfaraz Khan, who makes his Test debut.
* Kuldeep Yadav is included as the third spinner.
* First day of the match washed out due to rain.
* India looking for another dominant performance against New Zealand.

**Team Lineups:**

**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, Ejaz Patel, William O’Rourke

The second day of the match is expected to have a full day of play, with the hopes of witnessing a thrilling battle between bat and ball.

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