New Zealand ends a 36-year drought by winning their first Test match in India since 1988. The Kiwis hadn’t won a single Test on Indian soil since then, but they finally broke the long-standing record. This victory also shook up the World Test Championship (WTC) standings.
Match Details
New Zealand is on a tour of India, featuring three Test matches. The first test, held from October 16-20, lost its opening day to rain. On the second day, India won the toss and elected to bat first.
India First Innings
Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rohit Sharma opened for India, but New Zealand’s bowlers quickly took control, removing wickets at regular intervals. India collapsed to a shocking total of just 46 runs, rewriting the record for their lowest Test total at home. Matt Henry led the charge with five wickets, while William O’Rourke claimed four.
New Zealand First Innings
Tom Latham and Devon Conway opened for New Zealand, but Kuldeep Yadav soon dismissed Tom. However, Devon continued to play solidly, with support from Rachin Ravindra.
Both batsmen reached half-centuries before Devon was dismissed, while Rachin went on to score a century. A strong contribution of 65 runs from Tim Southee helped New Zealand post a commanding total of 402 runs.
India Second Innings
Yashasvi and Rohit started India’s second innings strongly, but Ajaz Patel broke their partnership by dismissing Yashasvi, later followed by Rohit. Virat Kohli and Sarfaraz Khan came in and began to build a crucial partnership, both completing half-centuries.
Phillips eventually broke the stand, dismissing Virat, and Rishabh Pant joined Sarfaraz at the crease. Together, they took India to a competitive position, with Sarfaraz reaching a century and later 150 runs. India finished their second inning with a total of 462 runs.
New Zealand Second Innings
Chasing 107 runs for victory, Tom Latham and Devon Conway opened again, but Bumrah quickly dismissed both in short succession. Will Young and Rachin Ravindra then steadied the innings and guided New Zealand to an easy victory, marking a historic win.
After the match, Tom said: “As a New Zealander, I feel very, very happy for this victory. As a player that’s come here and been able to do it, I know what it means and how proud everyone should be about this.”
A memorable win for New Zealand as they take a 1-0 lead in the #WTC25 series against India 👊#INDvNZ | 📝 Scorecard: https://t.co/Ktzuqbb61r pic.twitter.com/sQI74beYr8
— ICC (@ICC) October 20, 2024