A week after their thrilling win in Kanpur, India faced a disastrous performance against New Zealand, getting bowled out for just 46 runs on Day 2 of the first Test in a three-match series. India's innings lasted only 31.2 overs on a cloudy morning in Bengaluru, setting an unfortunate record for their lowest-ever Test total at home and the third-lowest in their Test history.
New Zealand's pacers, William O'Rourke and Matt Henry, dominated the game after Tim Southee triggered the collapse by dismissing India captain Rohit Sharma early in the first hour of play. India's decision to bat first backfired, as the pitch had been covered for most of the previous three days due to rain, and the overcast conditions made batting difficult.
Five Indian players were dismissed for ducks, including Virat Kohli, who was surprisingly sent in at No. 3, along with Sarfaraz Khan, Ravindra Jadeja, KL Rahul, and R Ashwin. It was a tough day for India at M Chinnaswamy Stadium.
INDIA'S LOWEST TOTALS IN TESTS
- 36-all out vs Australia in Adelaide in 2020
- 42-all out vs England in London in 1974
- 46-all out vs New Zealand in Bengaluru in 2024*
- 58-all out vs Australia in Brisbane in 1947
- 58-all out vs England in Manchester in 1952
India's collapse to 46-all out set several unwanted records. It was their lowest-ever Test total at home, breaking the previous record of 75 against West Indies in Delhi in 1987. It was also the lowest Test score in the subcontinent, surpassing West Indies' 53 against Pakistan in Faisalabad in 1986. Additionally, it became the lowest Test total on Indian soil, beating New Zealand’s 53 against India in Mumbai in 2021.
India, confident after a 2-0 series win against Bangladesh earlier this month, were handed a harsh reality check by New Zealand’s fast bowlers. The pacers took full advantage of the green pitch and overcast conditions, similar to what they would face at home.
Apart from Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, none of the Indian batters showed enough resilience to handle the difficult situation.
Former India captain Anil Kumble expressed concern during the broadcast, saying he was surprised by the lack of determination from India's batting lineup. "It’s important to adapt to tough conditions. The bowling attack is excellent, but the batters need to find ways to handle these situations better,” Kumble said. He added that the Indian batting performance was disappointing.
- Tags:
- Sports
0 Comments:
Leave a Reply