Kanpur Test: India win toss, opt to bat

India have won the toss and elected to bat in the first Test of three-match series against New Zealand here at Kanpur's Green Park Stadium.

Winning the toss, Indian skipper Virat Kohli said, "Looks like a pretty good wicket for day one. The start has been good in West Indies, preparation has been really good. The intensity is really high. Part of the 500th Test, I couldn't even imagine I'd be captaining it. I am grateful and honoured."

Speaking about the pitch, New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson said that it looks to be fairly dry.

"The preparation has been good. Acclimatised to the heat in Delhi, but I supposed the wicket looks a little bit different. Exciting young team. We have got some world-class seamers who have shown their skills for a long period of time," Williamson said.

This Test marks a major milestone as India will play its 500th Test. To mark the occasion, BCCI has arranged festivities.

Former captains such as Sunil Gavaskar and Mohammad Azharuddin are expected to join Sachin Tendulkar and Kapil Dev at Kanpur's Green Park as part of the festivities.

India are strong favourites after their recent 2-0 victory over the West Indies in a four-match away series, which saw Kohli scoring his first Test double century in Antigua.

India start the series just one point behind Pakistan, and they will be hopeful of returning to number one before Pakistan play three Tests against the West Indies in October and November.

India (Playing XI): Murali Vijay, Lokesh Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli(c), Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Ravichandran Ashwin, Wriddhiman Saha(w), Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav

New Zealand (Playing XI): Tom Latham, Martin Guptill, Kane Williamson(c), Ross Taylor, Luke Ronchi, Mitchell Santner, BJ Watling(w), Mark Craig, Ish Sodhi, Neil Wagner, Trent Boult.