Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

India look to continue dominance in home Tests against New Zealand

India's head coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Rohit Sharma inspect the pitch during a practice session ahead of their first Test cricket match against New Zealand at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on October 14. (Photo: Getty Images)
India's head coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Rohit Sharma inspect the pitch during a practice session ahead of their first Test cricket match against New Zealand at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on October 14. (Photo: Getty Images)

INDIA will look to maintain their impressive run of success in home Test matches as they take on an injury-hit New Zealand in the first game of a three-match series starting on Wednesday.

Since their 2-1 loss to England in 2012, India have won 18 consecutive Test series at home, losing only four matches and drawing seven in 53 games.


Rohit Sharma's team enters the series after a 2-0 win against Bangladesh. However, coach Gautam Gambhir emphasized that New Zealand presents a different level of challenge.

"We know that they're a very good team. They've got some really high-quality players. They've got players who can hurt us. They've got players who can do the job for them as well," Gambhir said. "They keep fighting and we expect them to fight as well. We respect them, but we don't fear anyone."

The first match in Bengaluru, followed by games in Pune and Mumbai, may face disruptions due to predicted rain throughout the week.

New Zealand, who began their Asian tour with a washout against Afghanistan in Greater Noida, come into this series after a 2-0 defeat in Sri Lanka. Tim Southee stepped down from the captaincy after the defeat, with Tom Latham taking over.

The Black Caps will be without batsman Kane Williamson, who opted out of the opener due to a groin injury, and pacer Ben Sears, who is out for the series with a knee injury. Jacob Duffy has replaced him in the squad.

New Zealand coach Gary Stead expressed disappointment over Sears' absence. "We're obviously disappointed for Ben, who made a strong start to his test career during the home summer and offers a genuine pace option," Stead said. "It's an exciting opportunity for Jacob. With three tests ahead, he has every chance of making his debut."

India currently top the World Test Championship table, with New Zealand five places below them. However, Gambhir stressed that the focus is on the current series, not future matches.

"The World Test Championship is in June 2025 and the test matches in Australia begin on Nov. 22. Right now, only New Zealand is on our mind and nothing else," Gambhir said. "When you play international cricket, you don't think about how to prepare for the five test matches in the Australia series or how to prepare for the World Test Championship final."

(With inputs from Reuters)

More For You

Eye Spy: Top stories from the world of entertainment
ROOH: Within Her
ROOH: Within Her

Eye Spy: Top stories from the world of entertainment

DRAMATIC DANCE

CLASSICAL performances have been enjoying great popularity in recent years, largely due to productions crossing new creative horizons. One great-looking show to catch this month is ROOH: Within Her, which is being staged at Sadler’s Wells Theatre in London from next Wednesday (23)to next Friday (25). The solo piece, from renowned choreographer and performer Urja Desai Thakore, explores narratives of quiet, everyday heroism across two millennia.

Keep ReadingShow less
Cauvery Madhavan captures the soul of rural Ireland in 'The Inheritance'

Cauvery Madhavan on Dursey Island in the Beara Peninsula

Cauvery Madhavan captures the soul of rural Ireland in 'The Inheritance'

IN HER novel, The Inheritance, Cauvery Madhavan writes beautifully, with lyrical descriptions of the Beara Peninsula in West Cork in Ireland.

Here, in the tiny village of Glengarriff, 29-year-old Marlo O’Sullivan has inherited a cottage high up in the rugged mountains. Along the nearby coastline around Bantry Bay, the fury of the heaving Atlantic often finds its way.

Keep ReadingShow less
Vance, Modi talks to focus on 'US-India strategic ties'

JD Vance (R) with Narendra Modi. (Photo by LEAH MILLIS/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Vance, Modi talks to focus on 'US-India strategic ties'

US vice president JD Vance will begin a four-day official visit to India on Monday (21), as part of efforts to strengthen economic, trade and strategic ties between the two countries. He will be accompanied by his wife Usha Vance, their three children, and top US officials.

The visit comes at a critical time, as the US and India aim to finalise a long-awaited bilateral trade agreement. Both sides are also looking to boost cooperation in defence, technology, and regional security amid ongoing tensions with China.

Keep ReadingShow less
Thousands rally in UK for trans rights after landmark ruling

Members of the public gather in Parliament Square with banners and placards as part of the Trans Liberation emergency Protest on April 19, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Ben Montgomery/Getty Images)

Thousands rally in UK for trans rights after landmark ruling

THOUSANDS of people on Saturday (19) rallied in London and Edinburgh in support of trans rights, after a landmark UK court ruling on the definition of a "woman".

Supreme Court last Wednesday (16) ruled that the legal definition of a "woman" is based on a person's sex at birth, with potentially far-reaching consequences for how single-sex spaces and services are run.

Keep ReadingShow less
'20 attacks on US fast-food chains in Pakistan this month'

FILE PHOTO: Supporters of Islami Jamiat-e-Talaba (IJT), a student wing of Pakistan's Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) party stage a pro-Palestinian protest outside a Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) restaurant calling for boycott of Israeli products on the outskirts of Islamabad on May 7, 2024

'20 attacks on US fast-food chains in Pakistan this month'

PAKISTAN government disclosed that at least 20 outlets of American fast-food chains across the country were attacked by religious extremists this month during the anti-Israel protests.

One employee of the KFC outlet was killed and almost 160 suspects arrested.

Keep ReadingShow less