New Zealand won the first test between India and New Zealand in Bengaluru by 8 wickets. It’s a historic win for the Kiwis, their first test win in India since 1988!
The first day of this game was abandoned due to rain. The match started on Day 2 with Indian skipper Rohit Sharma opting to bat after winning the toss. The decision seemed a bit brave with the pitch being under covers with rain around for a whole day.
Eventually, the decision to bat first backfired badly as the hosts were restricted to just 46 runs in their first innings. The ball was jagging around with extra and unpredictable bounce and plenty of assistance for the seamers.
Matt Henry and William O’Rourke exploited the conditions to the fullest. Henry picked up 5 wickets with O’Rourke picking up. None of the Indian batters got going and 5 of them were out for a duck!
The Conditions then got better for batting as the game progressed. The Kiwis scored 402 runs in their first innings and took a crucial lead of 356 runs. Devon Conway (91 runs) came out all guns blazing and took on the bowlers from the start. He never allowed Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja to settle in.
Rachin Ravindra was the star for the Kiwis with the bat. He scored a brilliant 134 runs and his partnership of 137 runs with Tim Southee (65 runs) was the turning point of the game. Jadeja and Kuldeep picked up 3 wickets each with Mohammed Siraj picking up 2 wickets.
India fought valiantly with the bat but still fell short
The Indian batters then came out with a positive intent in the second innings. Rohit and Jaiswal added 72 runs in just 17 overs before Jaiswal was dismissed. Rohit Sharma (52 runs), Virat Kohli (70 runs), Sarfaraz Khan (150 runs) and Rishabh Pant (99 runs) played well.
At one time on Day 4, India looked like taking a potentially match-winning lead. But the Kiwi bowlers came back strongly and bowled out India for 462 runs at a lead of 106 runs. Chasing down 107 runs, New Zealand lost Tom Latham in the second ball on Day 5 who was trapped in front by Jasprit Bumrah. Devon Conway too was dismissed cheaply for 17 runs, another LBW from Bumrah.
Will Young (48* runs) and Rachin Ravindra (38* runs) then steadied the ship and saw their side over the line. This win will boost the confidence of the visitors as it’s their first test win on Indian soil in 36 years. One bad decision at the toss cost India this game but they are a champion side and are expected to bounce back strongly in the 2nd test at Pune from 24th October.