 |
|
The first Test between India and New Zealand in Bengaluru witnessed a complete dominance by the visiting team on the second day. New Zealand's bowlers, led by Matt Henry and William O'Rourke, skittled out India for a paltry 46 runs, the lowest team score in Asia by any side. The match took a dramatic turn after India's decision to bat first backfired, and the Black Caps exploited the damp surface and overhead conditions to their advantage.
Henry and O'Rourke, who had both enjoyed impressive series in Sri Lanka, took full advantage of the favorable conditions. Henry finished with figures of 5-15, while O'Rourke snagged 4-22. They dismantled India's batting line-up, with Kohli and Sarfaraz Khan falling for ducks. The former, promoted to No. 3, was dismissed by a lifter that he gloved to leg slip, while the latter played a poor shot that was brilliantly caught by Conway at mid-off. The lower order offered no resistance, as Henry and O'Rourke continued their relentless assault, leaving India's trademark lower order defiance in home conditions nowhere to be seen.
New Zealand's catching was as impressive as their seam bowling. KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, and Ravichandran Ashwin all registered ducks, with the ball continuing to nip around appreciably. Rishabh Pant, although dropped once, was eventually run out. The bowlers put New Zealand in a commanding position, setting up a platform for Devon Conway to dominate the scoring. Despite some struggles against Jasprit Bumrah's new ball spell, Conway managed to hang in there and score 91 runs. The left-hander was particularly severe on the spinners, especially Ashwin, while skipper Tom Latham looked compact but couldn't score as fluently.
India's spinners tried to get into the game, with Kuldeep Yadav breaking the 67-run opening stand by trapping Latham LBW. Will Young then dug in and helped New Zealand gain a substantial lead. However, Ashwin and Jadeja struck late in the day, picking up the wickets of Young and Conway, respectively. The hosts would have liked to get another wicket or two before stumps, but Rachin Ravindra and Daryl Mitchell prevented further damage with a solid unbroken partnership. Ravindra, continuing his impressive form from the Sri Lanka tour, handled the spinners with aplomb.
New Zealand, with a 134-run lead, would be aiming to add another 100 runs at least, as batting could get difficult in the fourth innings at this venue. The first two sessions on the third day will be crucial for New Zealand to build on their advantage. The weather forecast for the next days is uncertain, but hopefully, there will be enough play to keep the game moving forward. The second day's play clearly demonstrated that New Zealand are in the driver's seat, and India will need to pull off a remarkable comeback to salvage the Test match.
Source: NZ in box seat after Henry, O'Rourke skittle India out for 46