Today, India start their long home season, where they will be playing 13 Tests -- Indian have never played more Test in their cricket history. What makes it even more exciting is the fact that it is India's 500th Test. Two of the best batsmen of this generation -- Virat Kohli and Kane Williamson -- would be leading their sides.
LIVE SCORE | INDIA vs NEW ZEALAND | 1ST TEST | GREEN PARK STADIUM, KANPUR
FULL SCORECARD
INDIA (1ST INNINGS)
90 overs: What an exciting day of cricket. Perfect way to celebrate the 500th Test. Great competition. Both the teams fought well throughout the day. India 291 for 9.
87.1 overs: WICKET! Boult is on fire. Another wicket for him. Shami is bowled. Mohammed Shami b Boult 0 (2b 0x4 0x6).
85.5 overs: WICKET! Another wicket for Boult. Ashwin is caught at gully. R Ashwin c Taylor b Boult 40 (76b 7x4 0x6).
83.5 overs: WICKET! Beautiful delivery by Boult. Saha found his stumps uprooted. Wriddhiman Saha b Boult 0 (2b 0x4 0x6).
82.6 overs: WICKET! Rohit has thrown away an opportunity, again! Santner gets another wicket for New Zealand. Rohit Sharma c Sodhi b Santner 35 (67b 3x4 1x6).
75 overs: Rohit Sharma and R Ashwin are playing well. It's a slight recover for India after losing Rahane right after Tea. Ashwin has really strengthened India's lower batting order. India 236/5. Ashwin 20 (32b 4x4 0x6), Rohit 25 (54b 2x4 1x6), Wagner 14-3-42-1, Craig 19-6-42-1.
63.6 overs: WICKET! Rahane becomes Craig's first victim. Bad start to the post-tea session for India. Ajinkya Rahane c Latham b Craig 18 (36b 2x4 0x6).
Welcome to the last session of the day.
Time to take Tea.
59 overs: New Zealand have managed to make inroads in the post-lunch session. India will need to bat really well after tea to end the day with some advantage over Black Caps. India 185/4. Rohit 0 (5b 0x4 0x6), Rahane 12 (21b 1x4 0x6), Sodhi 11-3-27-1, Craig 11-4-29-0.
48.4 overs: WICKET! Pujara is gone. Santner provides the breakthrough that New Zealand needed desperately. Pujara jams his bat on his pads. Disappointed he is. Cheteshwar Pujara c & b Santner 62 (109b 8x4 0x6).
47.1 overs: 15o up for India. Murali Vijay 52 (137b 6x4 0x6), Pujara 61 (107b 8x4 0x6).
40.5 overs: Pujara completes his fifty as well. A fine half-century. Understated celebrations. Took just 84 balls with seven fours.
39.6 overs: That's fifty for Murali Vijay. He took 119 balls to get this one with the help of six fours. This is his 13th Test half-century.
We are back. Hungry for good cricket, not for food! At 105 for 1, India looked to have taken advantage over New Zealand.
Time for LUNCH.
31 overs: India have had a good morning session. Pujara and Vijay have looked solid and determined in their approach. India 105/1. Vijay 39 (89b 4x4 0x6), Pujara 34 (58b 5x4 0x6), Sodhi 4-1-11-0, Craig 9-2-29-0.
25 overs: Pujara and Vijay have managed well after the fall of Rahul in the 11th over. They have kind of nullified Rahul's loss and put India back in the saddle. India 86/1. Pujara 22 (41b 4x4 0x6), Vijay 32 (70b 4x4 0x6), Sodhi 1-1-0-0, Craig 6-2-21-0.
10.6 overs: WICKET! Superb catch from wicketkeeper Watling. Rahul is walking back. A little quicker through the air, the ball cut away a bit. Rahul went back in his crease and looked to play for the trajectory but the ball took the edge. Santner is ecstatic. KL Rahul c Watling b Santner 32 (39b 4x4 1x6).
10 overs: Murali Vijay and KL Rahul are facing no problem whatsoever. Trent Boult did a bit with the new ball but never looked like a threat to Indian openers. It's a good start for India in this historic Test. Runs are coming easily. India 35/0. Rahul 26 (35b 4x4 0x6), Vijay 9 (25b 1x4 0x6), Wagner 5-1-11-0, Santner 1-0-7-0.
1 over: One full toss gift and one glorious drive through the covers by Rahul brought India two FOURS in the over. India 8/0.
9.28 am: No rain worries. Covers are off and New Zealand players are strolling in. Indian openers KL Rahul and Murali Vijay look focused and serene. We are about to start this historic Test. Trent Boult has the ball.
9.17 am: Overcast conditions in Kanpur. The pitch has been covered, probably just a precautionary measure.
PLAYING XIs
INDIA: Murali Vijay, Lokesh Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Ravichandran Ashwin, Wriddhiman Saha, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav.
NEW ZEALAND: Tom Latham, Martin Guptill, Kane Williamson, Ross Taylor, Luke Ronchi, Mitchell Santner, BJ Watling, Mark Craig, Ish Sodhi, Trent Boult, Neil Wagner.
RECORD: India's win-loss record at Green Park cricket stadium is 4-0 since 1983 when they loss to West Indies. Overall, they lead NZ 1-0 from two Tests in Kanpur.
TOSS: Indian captain Virat Kohli won the toss and he decided to bat first against New Zealand.
It's about time and Team India is in a huddle:
Indian players have left their hotel:
SQUADS
New Zealand: Kane Williamson (capt), Trent Boult, Doug Bracewell, Mark Craig, Martin Guptill, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, James Neesham, Henry Nicholls, Luke Ronchi, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Ross Taylor, Neil Wagner and BJ Watling.
India: Virat Kohli (capt), Shikhar Dhawan, Murali Vijay, KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, Cheteshwar Pujara, Wriddhiman Saha, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Bhuvneshvar Kumar, Amit Mishra, R Ashwin, Umesh Yadav.
PREVIEW
A formidable Indian cricket team is expected to dominate the visiting New Zealand by revelling in home conditions in its historic 500th Test match, which will herald the beginning of a long 13-match home season.
There is an extra bit of statistics and history attached with the match for it being the team's 500th Test match since it started playing the game 80 years back.
The team played its first ever Test when it was a British colony in 1932 but over the years, has established itself as a force in world cricket.
The Indian team has always been an intimidating side on spin-friendly tracks under sultry conditions and the script is unlikely to change unless the Kiwis master the conditions.
However, the threat of rains looms large on the opening Test of the three-match series with predictions of heavy downpour in the next six days.
The Green Park track promises to be a true Indian Test wicket where spinners will have a major role to play and skipper Virat Kohli will have no hesitation in going in with Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Amit Mishra.
Moreover, New Zealand have not had enough practice to get ready for the series. The only warm-up game they played against Mumbai was on a flat Feroz Shah Kotla track in Delhi, where their bowlers bled runs.
Martin Guptill, one of the Kiwis' best batsmen in recent times, lasted a mere 21 balls in his two innings even as Luke Ronchi staked claim for the opener's slot with a century in the second innings of that game.
It was actually Mumbai who dominated the practice match with three of their batsmen striking a century each in the first innings.
Even history is heavily stacked against the visitors, who have not won a Test on the Indian soil in their last 14 attempts. The last Test New Zealand won here was way back in 1998.
In the 15-man squad, young captain Kane Williamson along with Ross Taylor is the most experienced player with five Tests here.
In complete contrast, India have won nine of their last 10 Tests played at home and the only draw was against South Africa last year in Bangalore and that too because it was a weather-affected contest.
58.1 overs: WICKET! Murali pays the price of a reckless shot. Sodhi gets his first wicket. Murali Vijay c Watling b Sodhi 65 (170b 8x4 0x6).
55 overs: India have lost the advantage their top-order gave them in the morning session. New Zealand, with two wickets in the post lunch session, have clawed back to regain some lost ground. India 184/3. Rahane 11 (13b 1x4 0x6), Vijay 65 (159b 8x4 0x6), Santner 15-1-60-2, Wagner 13-3-34-1.
51.3 overs: WICKET! Kohli is out. Big blow to India. Wagner gets the big wicket. It was a bouncer, Virat could control the pull. Top edge and Sodhi takes a simple catch. Virat Kohli c Sodhi b Wagner 9 (9b 2x4 0x6).