IND vs NZ, 1st Test, Day 2 highlights: New Zealand bowl India out for 46 and take a lead of 134 at the stumps on Day 2.
Brief Score: IND 46 (R. Pant 20, Y. Jaiswal 13, M. Henry 5/15) trail NZ 180/3 (D. Conway 91, W. Young 33, R. Jadeja 1/28) by 134 runs.
Unrelenting rain wiped out play on Wednesday, Day 1 of the opening Test between India and New Zealand. Matt Henry and Will O’Rourke wreaked havoc on Day 2 play as India were bowled out for a mere 46 runs in their first innings of the first Test in Bengaluru. Henry took a five-wicket haul while O’Rourke claimed four to condemn India to their lowest Test innings total in a home Test. Meanwhile, five Indian batters fell for ducks, registering an unwanted feat for India in Test cricket.
Earlier, India and New Zealand faced each other in 62 Test cricket matches. Out of these 62 games, India won 22, whereas New Zealand came out victorious on 13 occasions. Meanwhile, 27 matches ended in a draw.
Talking Point: India’s decision to bat in seaming conditions cost them a game?
In Indian conditions, batting first has almost always been a no-brainer. There’s usually not a lot of help early on for the fast bowlers, and whether pitches start flat or spinner-friendly, they only get more difficult to bat on as Test matches progress. However, as the game unfolded in Bengaluru, it became evident that the pitch held certain characteristics that favored the fast bowlers. Due to the overcast skies, the pitch seemed to have a mischievous streak, offering seam movement and bounce that troubled the batters. While batting first, the India batters faced a daunting task as they grappled with the challenging conditions and eventually bowled out on a very low total. Given the overcast conditions in Bengaluru, playing with two seamers is another difficult decision.
Read More: IND vs NZ Tests: Statistical highlights from this 7-decade old rivalry
Hapless India was reduced to 34/6 at lunch by a New Zealand pacer in a horror show
The rains stayed away to allow Day 2 to get off to an early start as scheduled. India skipper Rohit Sharma won the toss and opted to bat against New Zealand in the first Test in Bengaluru. The New Zealand fast bowlers made the Indian batters dance to their tune in the first session, and the hosts were reduced to 13/3 before rain interrupted play in the 13th over. While Rohit Sharma and Sarfaraz Khan fell to Tim Southee and Matt Henry, respectively, playing attacking shots, Virat Kohli got an absolute snorter from the tall Will O’Rourke. Virat Kohli, Sarfaraz, KL Rahul, and Ravindra Jadeja fell for ducks, while Rohit went after scoring two runs in 16 balls. At Lunch, India’s score read 34/6, with Rishabh Pant (15*) standing unbeaten at the crease.
India bundles out for 46, their lowest-ever Test score at home
The top bowling performances were from New Zealand Pacers, William O’Rourke, and Matt Henry, who helped New Zealand bundle out India for 46. Only Rishabh Pant (20) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (13) were the two batters who scored in double digits. Ravichandran Ashwin was the fifth Indian batter to get dismissed on a duck as he lost his wicket to in-form Henry in the second session.
Tom Latham and Devon Conway started the proceedings for New Zealand. The pair easily overcame India’s first-inning total of 46 runs and quickly took the lead. Conway scored a timely half-century to take the visitors to 82/1 and the lead to 36 runs at Tea. Kuldeep Yadav gave India the first breakthrough, dismissing Tom Latham for 15.
Devon Conway falls for 91, New Zealand 180/3 at stumps, and takes a lead of 134 runs
New Zealand finished Day 2 on 180/3, as Chennai Super Kings (CSK) batters Rachin Ravindra and Daryl Mitchell held the fort. However, another CSK star, Devon Conway, stole the show with the bat. Conway built a strong partnership with Will Young, who fell to Ravindra Jadeja for 33 off 73 balls. Meanwhile, Conway departed for 91 off 105 balls, losing his wicket to Ravichandran Ashwin. Rachin Ravindra (22*) and Daryl Mitchell (14*) remained unbeaten for New Zealand and will resume batting on Day 3. Meanwhile, India’s misery was compounded as Rishabh Pant left the field with an injury scare to his right knee.
Statistical highlights from India vs New Zealand, 1st Test, Day 2
- Rohit Sharma has now been dismissed thrice by Tim Southee in Tests.
- Virat Kohli has scored 97 runs in 7 innings spread across 6 Tests, batting at no. 3. His average is 16.16 at this position, his lowest for any position in the longest format (minimum 5 innings).
- Virat Kohli registered the 15th duck in his Test career. That’s the joint second-most ducks for a top-order (1-7) India batter, along with Dilip Vengsarkar. Virender Sehwag has the most ducks for India in this category (16).
- Yashasvi Jaiswal got out for the 13th time to a pacer in Test cricket. That’s 65 percent of all his dismissals in the longest format.
- This is India’s second-lowest score with 8 wickets down in Test history (8-39). The lowest was 8-26 in Adelaide 2020 against Australia.
- This is India’s third-lowest total (46) in Test cricket. This is also their lowest ever at home in the longest format.
- Matthew Henry has reached the 100 wickets milestone in Test cricket.
- India’s 46-all-out is the lowest all-out team score in India for any team. It eclipses NZ’s 62 all-out registered in Mumbai in 2021.
- India’s 46 all-out is the lowest-ever all-out score registered in Asia in Test cricket. It eclipses WI’s 53 against Pakistan in Faisalabad in 1986 & Pakistan’s 53 against Australia in Sharjah in 2002.
- Matthew Henry’s 5-15 is the most economical fifer for a NZ bowler in Test history. It came at an ER of 1.12. The previous best was Chris Cairns’ 7-27 at an ER of 1.18 against West Indies in Hamilton in 1999.
- This is the joint-most (4) number of ducks scored by India’s top order (1-7) in a single innings in Test cricket and the most at home in this category.
What’s next
India’s bowlers will aim for some quick wickets as soon as the day starts to bounce back in the game. The visitors will look to strengthen their lead with a big total in their first innings. The weather forecast for the remaining days looks pretty grim, with the rain in the city set to continue.
Read More: Pujara is India’s leading run-scorer in Tests against Australia since 2017: BGT 2024-25 calling?
