New Zealand's Will Young (L) and Rachin Ravindra celebrate their team's triumph over India at the conclusion of their first Test cricket match at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Sunday. — AFP
New Zealand clinched an eight-wicket victory, marking their first Test win in India since 1988. The Black Caps successfully chased down 107 runs and dominated the home side early on the final day of the rain-interrupted series opener on Sunday. After dismissing India for their lowest home total of 46 and scoring 402 in response, New Zealand bowled out Rohit Sharma's team for 462 in the second innings on Saturday, setting the stage for a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
Will Young (48 not out) and Rachin Ravindra (39 not out) maintained their composure under pressure after losing two early wickets, securing New Zealand's third win on Indian soil in 38 attempts since 1955. "It was probably a good toss to lose," said New Zealand captain Tom Latham. "The players performed exceptionally in the first innings, consistently placing the ball in the right areas and achieving the desired results."
The first two innings of the match... I believe we set the game up perfectly. We knew India would come back strong in the third innings and they did put us under pressure, but the way our seamers responded with the new ball... it was a fantastic performance." New Zealand had a shaky start after a rain delay, with Latham being trapped leg-before-wicket by Jasprit Bumrah on the second ball of the day for a duck, leaving the tourists yet to score.
Bumrah and fellow pace bowler Mohammed Siraj made life difficult for the New Zealand batsmen early on, as India aimed to become the first team in Test history to win a match after conceding a first-innings lead of over 350 runs. Conway suffered a couple of painful body blows, narrowly missing the ball and facing hostile glares from the bowlers amidst jeers from the partisan crowd at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium before being dismissed leg-before-wicket by Bumrah for 17.
The wicket seemed to settle after Ravindra, who scored a century in the first innings, arrived at the crease. The Wellington-born left-hander, with roots in Bengaluru, skillfully guided New Zealand out of trouble before Young sealed the victory with the winning runs. Rohit Sharma acknowledged India's poor batting performance in the first innings but took heart from their second innings, where Sarfaraz Khan scored 150 and Rishabh Pant hit 99, giving them a fighting chance.
"It was a commendable effort in the second innings with the bat. We didn't perform well in the first, so we knew what challenges lay ahead. We aimed to score as many runs as possible. A couple of players really stood out, and it was a great sight to see," Rohit said. The series, which includes matches in Pune and Mumbai, is part of the World Test Championship. India arrived in Bengaluru aiming for a significant win over the 2021 champions to enhance their chances of reaching a third consecutive final in June 2025, but now face a battle to maintain their streak of 18 consecutive home series victories since 2012.
Source link: https://www.khaleejtimes.com
