Cheteshwar Pujara‘s preferred lineup for India’s opening Test match against New Zealand consists of four pacers and just one spinner. The first Test will take place at Wellington’s Cello Basin Reserve on November 19–23.
Cheteshwar Pujara has predicted India’s playing XI for the first Test against New Zealand
The combination has a strong emphasis on speed, which is in line with what is usually anticipated at Welligton. KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal will open the batting order for the visiting team, which will be led by Shubman Gill. He has also backed Devdutt Padikkal to occupy the third spot in the batting order.
Padikkal was chosen for the starting lineup due to his impressive recent performance. Prior to this series, the left-hander made a compelling case for a Test berth by scoring two hundreds during India’s tour of Sri Lanka. However, wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant’s inclusion is still pending fitness approval.
The Indian team for the Test series against New Zealand was revealed prior to the trip. This team makes up Pujara’s projected starting lineup. Notably, he has excluded Sai Sudharsan, Washington Sundar, Akash Deep, Anshul Kamboj, and Kuldeep Yadav from his preferred first-Test lineup. Along with the four frontline pacers, the team now has a fifth bowling option thanks to the addition of Nitish Kumar Reddy as an all-rounder.
Jadeja is the only specialist spinner in Cheteshwar Pujara’s anticipated lineup, which reflects the belief that pace bowlers will benefit more from New Zealand conditions at Wellington than spin.
KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Devdutt Padikkal, Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant, Dhruv Jurel, Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, and Prasidh Krishna are Pujara’s projected starting lineup.
India’s full squad for New Zealand Tests
Shubman Gill (C), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul (VC), Devdutt Padikkal, Rishabh Pant (WK), Dhruv Jurel (WK), Ravindra Jadeja, Anshul Kamboj, Jasprit Bumrah, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Sai Sudharsan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav and Mohammed Siraj.
There will be two locations for India and New Zealand’s two-match Test series. The Cello Basin Reserve in Wellington will host the first Test from November 19–23, 2026, and Hagley Oval in Christchurch will host the second Test from November 27–December 1, 2026.
India will play New Zealand in five Twenty20 Internationals and five One-Day Internationals prior to the start of the Test series. Before the red-ball matches start, both teams will have a significant amount of white-ball cricket during the ODI leg of the tour, which is set for November 4–15, 2026.
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A hectic tour that includes all three formats culminates in the Test series. Before the Wellington Test starts, the team management must make a number of selection choices due to India’s depth in both pace and spin options.
