India and New Zealand are all set to face off in the first of three Tests from Wednesday but the match itself is under threat of getting washed out due to the non-stop rains in Bengaluru.
Team India managed to overcome the weather disruptions in Kanpur to beat Bangladesh in less than a couple of days despite losing 173 overs to the rains at the Green Park Stadium. But pulling off another miraculous win like that against the former World Test Champions winners will be a totally different challenge.
If the match ends in a draw, then India's chances of qualifying for next year's WTC final will take a hit but they will still be well ahead of the other 9 teams in the race.
Pitch Report
The Chinnaswamy surface has been traditionally a spinner's delight but the weather conditions might change the nature of the pitch.
First picture of the 22-yard-strip surfaced on social media on Monday and from the looks of it, the slower bowlers might have more success than the pacers on it.
But nothing can be said for sure just yet as it is expected to remain under covers for majority of the Test match due to the rains.
The action will shift from Bengaluru to Pune (Oct 24-28) and then Mumbai (November 1-5) for the next two Tests.
Squads:
India: Rohit Sharma(c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant(w), Ravindra Jadeja, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep
New Zealand: Devon Conway, Tom Latham(c), Will Young, Kane Williamson, Michael Bracewell, Daryl Mitchell, Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Tom Blundell(w), Mark Chapman, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Matt Henry, Jacob Duffy, Ajaz Patel, William ORourke
