India vs New Zealand Test, Bengaluru Pitch Report: India and New Zealand are all set to square off in the first of three Tests at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru starting on Ocober 16 (Wednesday). While India are coming on the back of a dominant 2-0 win over Bangladesh, New Zealand succumbed to a defeat in the Test series in Sri Lanka.


The Test series will also be crucial for India if they are to secure a place in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) Final for the third time in a row. India would ideally want to win each of their three Test matches so that they don't drop points in the home series ahead of what would be a tougher challenge away from home in the five-match Test series in Australia.


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Will Captain Winning The Toss Bat Or Bowl First In Bengaluru?


With the series opener in Bengaluru, a lot of eyes would be on the Bengaluru pitch. Usually Bengaluru offers a good batting surface. However, in the last Test that India played at this venue, both the teams had included three spinners each in their side. While India captain Rohit Sharma had won the toss and elected to bat first in Kanpur against Bangladesh, the Bengaluru wicket might not necessarily encourage the captain to elect to bat first.


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Teams that have won the toss and elected to bat first have gone on to win 75% of the matches in the last four Tests that hav been played at this venue. In the only other instance, the match has ended in a draw. That suggests India might be tempted to bring in a third spinner especially if they decide to hand Jasprit Bumrah or Mohammed Siraj a rest ahead of a five-match series in Australia.