IND vs NZ 1st Test, Bengaluru Day 5 Weather Update: Thunderstorm threat could force teams to go for the kill in the 1st session

As the final day of play slowly approaches, India will be looking to test the odds as they hope to defend their target of 107 on the final day of the opening Test against New Zealand in Bengaluru on Sunday. But weather conditions could play a big role in producing a result.

New Zealand will be the clear favorites to win. In the Bengaluru Test, they showed that they can keep up with the bat and can handle both the pace and spin attacks that India have at their disposal. But with bad weather ahead, the New Zealanders may be under pressure to play a little more aggressively.

According to information from Weather.comBy 11:30 a.m. the chance of rain is about 20 percent. But after midday, the chance of rain increases to over 40 percent and will continue to rise to 80 to 85 percent later in the day, with thunderstorms expected.

The forecast weather conditions mean New Zealand plan to finish and dust off the game within the first session. But with an aggressive approach, the Indian bowlers can also push aggressively to potentially grab a few wickets to put pressure on the visitors.

Since it was cloudy at the start of the day's play, the pacers might try to get some decent movement with the new ball. Ashwin, on the other hand, could look to use the drift to potentially add an extra dimension to the Indian bowling attack.

While the Indian bowlers will have to push themselves to the limit, the New Zealand team will also be under pressure to go for the win as it would be their first victory on Indian soil after 35 long years. Furthermore, their chances of a possible place in the World Test Championship final would increase with a win over table-toppers India.

Should India aim for victory, they would have to build on their mammoth performance from 2004 when they defended the same total against the mighty Aussies at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai thanks to the spin trio of Harbhajan Singh, Anil Kumble and Murali Kartik.