India won the toss and opted to bat first against New Zealand in the first Test in Kanpur starting Thursday, November 25. Stand-in skipper Ajinkya Rahane said that the pitch looked very good but generally it slows down here in Kanpur, so batting first was a better bet.

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New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson said that he would have batted first as well but now that they are bowling, it's important to take early wickets.

Team India handed a debut to middle-order batter Shreyas Iyer while going with a combination of three spinners and two pacers.

For New Zealand too, there was a debutant in Rachin Ravindra, who will serve as the fifth bowling option along with two spinners and as many pace bowlers.

Playing XIs

India: Shubman Gill, Mayank Agrawal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Shreyas Iyer, Ajinkya Rahane (c), Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma

New Zealand: Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Kane Williamson (C), Ross Taylor, Henry Nicholls, Tom Blundell (wk), Rachin Ravindra, Ajaz Patel, Kyle Jamieson, Tim Southee, Will Somerville