Left-arm spinner Axar Patel picked up five wickets to help India grab a handy 49-run first-innings lead on Day 3 of the first Test against New Zealand on Saturday.
Tom Latham will captain the team for an entire series for the first time in place of Kane Williamson, who suffered a recurrence of an elbow injury in India and will miss both Tests.
New Zealand captain Kane Williamson fractured his thumb during a match against Bangladesh.
The tourists will be without batsman Kane Williamson in Bengaluru after the former skipper opted out of the opener due to a groin injury, while paceman Ben Sears was ruled out of the series with a knee injury and replaced by Jacob Duffy.
New Zealand had to play out of their skin but a top order meltdown has left them on the brink of defeat
While this may not secure qualification outright, it would certainly keep them in contention. New Zealand head coach Gary Stead drew inspiration from the inaugural WTC cycle in 2019-21, when New Zealand won six consecutive matches enroute to securing the title.
New Zealand set Pakistan a tricky target of 319 and then landed two late blows to boost their hopes of a series-clinching victory in the second Test on Thursday.
A spectacular seven-wicket haul by Mitchell Santner helped New Zealand dismiss India for 156 before the tourists reached 198-5 at stumps on day two of the second test in Pune on Friday to tighten their grip on the three-match series.
IMAGES from the ICC Champions Trophy match played between Bangladesh and New Zealand in Rawalpindi on Monday.
Victory left New Zealand on 10 points and in pole position to bag the last semi-final spot and join India, South Africa and Australia. Pakistan will now need to beat England by a massive margin to leapfrog New Zealand on net run rate.
Images from the ICC Men's ODI World Cup match between New Zealand and the Netherlands in Hyderabad on Monday.
Woeful India dismissed for 46 as New Zealand pacers run riot
Afghanistan skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi said Chennai is a familiar venue for his team.
Tim Southee, once half of the most feared new-ball partnership in the game, brought down the curtain on a glittering 16-year Test career after New Zealand crushed England for a consolation win in Hamilton on Tuesday.
Successful in keeping opponents and vitriol at bay so far, India will have to rise above traditional bugbear New Zealand and a rigmarole of emotions surrounding stalwarts Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to reclaim the Champions Trophy after 12 years in Dubai on Sunday.
Ross Taylor claimed the last Bangladesh wicket in his final act in Test cricket to seal New Zealand's series-levelling victory by an innings and 117 runs in the second and final match in Christchurch on Tuesday.
Pakistan scored 182 runs and Tom Latham's side fell well short of their target despite a hat-trick from Matt Henry, with Haris Rauf claiming four wickets for 18 runs as New Zealand were dismissed for 94, with more than four overs remaining.
None of New Zealand's batters were able to build on their starts
Daryl Mitchell's 129 and a 98 from skipper Tom Latham helped the Black Caps to an imposing 336-5 but Fakhar's fluent 180 from 144 balls and half centuries from Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan got Pakistan across the line with 10 balls to spare.
India's Shreyas Iyer smashed a century on his test debut but Tim Southee's lion-hearted bowling and New Zealand's top order left the opening test between the teams evenly poised on Friday.
Images from Day 3 of the ICC World Test Championship final between India and New Zealand, at The Hampshire Bowl, in Southampton, on Saturday.
The inscription on the bat read: 'Happy Birthday, Virat. You are a symbol of dedication and a living proof that age is just a number.'
Fast bowler Lockie Ferguson will take over the captain's role for the first time in his career as regular skipper Kane Williamson continues to recover from a knee injury, and his deputy Tom Latham has been rested for the series.
Former New Zealand fast-bowling great Tim Southee is confident that the Black Caps' inexperienced bowling attack will do a wonderful job at the upcoming Champions Trophy after watching them perform impressively in the recently-concluded tri-series in Pakistan.
Images from Day 2 of the 3rd Test played between India and New Zealand, in Mumbai, on Saturday.
The Australians still managed to score at a fair pace and will resume on Monday on 77-4 with Mitch Marsh, who was 27 not out, and Travis Head, unbeaten on 17, looking to cut deeper into their 279-run victory target.
IMAGES from the Champions Trophy second Semi-final between New Zealand and South Africa played at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore on Wednesday
Images from the second One-Day International between India and New Zealand, at Raipur.
'That's a standard we want to keep going with for the rest of tournament.'
New Zealand face England-beaters Afghanistan aiming to keep their unbeaten run intact
Latham, De Grandhomme lead NZ to series sweep of India
Former captain Daniel Vettori termed New Zealand's 3-0 Test series win on Indian soil as his country's greatest achievement while ex-batter Ross Taylor said he did not think of a clean sweep even "in our wildest dreams".
It was a stunning defeat for India, who were dismantled by eight wickets in seamer-friendly conditions in the opening match at Bengaluru, as they suffered their first series loss on home soil since falling to England in 2012.
New Zealand's bowlers exploited the favorable conditions at the Wankhede Stadium, decimating India's top order in the early overs.
South Africa skittled New Zealand's tail to dismiss their hosts for 211 and take a shock first-innings lead of 31 runs on day two of the second Test at Seddon Park on Wednesday.
Images from Day 2 of the first Test between India and New Zealand in Kanpur, on Friday.
Kyle Jamieson wrecked India with the ball and opener Devon Conway compiled a half-century to put New Zealand in a commanding position in the final of the inaugural ICC World Test Championship in Southampton on Sunday.
Who do you think should be part of India's playing XI against New Zealand in Sunday's final?
Images from Day 5 of the first Test between India and New Zealand, at Green Park in Kanpur, on Monday.
Hosts New Zealand were in trouble as Sri Lanka reduced the Kiwis to 165 for five on day two of the first Test.
