Team India’s decision to bat first after winning the toss in Bengaluru backfired as New Zealand registered their first Test win on Indian soil in 36 years. Despite fighting back in the second innings, the hosts could only set a 107-run target which the Black Caps aced with fortitude. Tom Latham & Co. won the opening match by eight wickets to go 1-0 up in the series.
New Zealand resumed their chase on Monday morning following an hour-long delay and lost their captain in a few minutes. Bumrah’s length ball trapped Latham in front, providing an early breakthrough for India. However, an early dismissal didn’t affect the Kiwis’ determination to win the match.
Almost an hour later, Bumrah struck again to dismiss Devon Conway with a similar delivery that ended Latham’s outing much earlier. Conway was trapped right in front of the off stump and walked back after contributing 17 off 39.
In-form Rachin Ravindra took the onus of the chase and teamed up with Will Young to seal a historic win for New Zealand. The duo stitched a 72-run stand for the seventh wicket to take the Black Caps home.
The Indian team will look to get back in the series, with the second and third Tests taking place in Pune and Mumbai, respectively. Rohit and Co. will look to get back to winning ways as they hope to cement their spot in the World Test Championship (WTC) final and also be in good form leading up to the Australia tour, set to take place in November, later this year.
Team India will have a lot of positives to take away from the Bengaluru Test. One in particular is the fine batting performance shown by Sarfaraz Khan in the second innings. Additionally, the performances of Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant and Rohit will also be the positive takeaways.
As for their major concerns, Rishabh Pant’s knee injury will be a massive blow and the Indian team’s management will have to take a call on his participation for the rest of the series.
Brief Scores
India 46 and 462. New Zealand 402 and 110/2; 27.4 overs (Will Young 48 not out, Rachin Ravindra 39 not out) by eight wickets.
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