New Zealand A will clash with India A in the first unofficial Test of the three-game series at Bert Sutcliffe Oval in Lincoln, starting on Saturday, October 24.
India A have named Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Devdutt Padikkal, Sai Sudharsan, Washington Sundar and Akash Deep in their squad, with Dhruv Jurel as captain. New Zealand A have Henry Nicholls as their only established Test player, while several others have represented the Black Caps in white-ball cricket.
NZ-A vs IND-A, Unofficial Test Series 2026, Match 1, Match Details
Match: New Zealand A vs India A, Unofficial Test Series 2026, Match 1
Time & Date: 3:00 AM IST, October 24 to 27
Venue: Bert Sutcliffe Oval, Lincoln
NZ-A vs IND-A, Unofficial Test Series 2026, Match 1 Pitch Report
The Lincoln surface is expected to assist pacers initially with the new ball. As the game progresses to the middle overs, we can expect batters to settle down and score some quick runs.
NZ-A vs IND-A, Unofficial Test Series 2026, Match 1 Probable XIs
New Zealand A
Nick Kelly, Tim Robinson, Dean Foxcroft, Henry Nicholls, Rhys Mariu, Mitchell Hay (wk), Kristian Clarke, Adithya Ashok, Ben Lister, Matt Fisher, Jayden Lennox
India A
Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Devdutt Padikkal, Ravichandran Smaran, Dhruv Jurel (c, wk), Washington Sundar, Akash Deep, Mukesh Kumar, Anshul Kamboj, Auqib Nabi
NZ-A vs IND-A, Unofficial Test Series 2026, Match 1 Winner Prediction
Match Winner: Draw
While both sides look strong on paper across two departments of the game, this should be a closely fought contest. With only four days available, though, a draw is the most likely result. Nevertheless, the Dhruv Jurel-led side looks like the relatively better side.
