Top 3 Indian batters to watch out for in 1st Test against New Zealand 

Discover the top three Indian batters to watch in the 1st Test against New Zealand. Test cricket returns to India with the three-match series against New Zealand starting on Wednesday. Bengaluru is set to host the first game of this exciting series with Pune and Mumbai set to host the next two matches. India comes into the series knowing that a 3-0 win in the series will be enough to seal a place in the WTC Finals next year. 

After an amazing time with the bat in the series against Bangladesh, the onus will be on the home batters to deliver the goods. The likes of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli didn’t score the mountain of runs they were known for in the previous series. Ravichandran Ashwin was the sole century-maker for India against Bangladesh in Chennai. 

With the tour of Australia lurking many Indian batters will want to put their best foot forward and get back to form. The likes of KL Rahul and Sarfaraz Khan are basically in a race to secure their places in the touring party. 

Here are the top 3 Indian batters to watch out for during the 1st Test vs New Zealand 

3. Rohit Sharma 

Indian skipper Rohit Sharma has scored 497 runs from 8 Test matches with an average of 35. The right-handed batter has also hit 2 centuries and 1 fifty this year. His two centuries came during the series against England during the Test matches in Rajkot and Dharamshala. India’s skipper scored a mere 42 runs in the four innings against Bangladesh and will be keen to get back to top form. Rohit has played 6 Test matches against New Zealand and scored 424 runs with an average of 53 with 4 fifties.

2. Rishabh Pant 

Ever since his return to cricket after his horrific accident, Rishabh Pant is making up for lost time. The 27-year-old has played 2 Test matches and scored 161 runs with an average of 53.67 and has hit one century. His only ton came during the 2nd innings of the Chennai Test versus Bangladesh. Pant doesn’t have a great record against the Kiwis having scored just 105 runs with an average of 17.5. His record in Bengaluru has seen Pant play one game and score 89 runs with one fifty with a strike rate of 156.

1. Yashasvi Jaiswal 

Young Yashasvi Jaiswal with 929 runs from 8 Test matches in 2024 is the 3rd highest run scorer in this format of the game. Only Joe Root (1248), and Kamindu Mendis with 943 runs are ahead of India’s talented batter. Yashasvi Jaiswal will be playing New Zealand for the first time. So far this year the young batter has hit 2 centuries and 6 fifties. Both of his tons were double centuries that came against England in Visakhapatnam and Rajkot earlier this year.

Disclaimer: This exclusive news is based on the author’s insights, analysis, and intuition. While reviewing this information, consider the points discussed and form your own conclusions.