Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], October 17 (ANI): For the first time in 14 years, India found itself in a state of panic in the first session of the opening Test against New Zealand on Day 2 in Bengaluru.
Under a gloomy sky and overcast conditions, India captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and took everyone by surprise by opting to bat.
New Zealand pace trio featuring Tim Southee, Matt Henry and William ORourke made most of the conditions, picked a wicket each and reduced India to 10/3.
Since 1990, this was just the third time India were down three wickets after scoring 10 or fewer runs on home soil in a Test match.
On all three occasions, it was New Zealand who made early inroads and rattled India’s top order. Before the ongoing Test match, the Kiwis managed to remove three India batters for a score of 7 in Mohali in 1999. In 2010, India had lost three wickets after putting just two runs on the board.
Tim Southee set the tone of the day by nipping one back into Rohit, beating the inside edge and knocking the top of the leg stump.
With the Indian skipper back in the dugout with a score of 2, Virat Kohli and Yashasvi Jaiswal tried to steady the ship under gruelling conditions.
The scorching deliveries from New Zealand pacers continued to unsettle the Indian duo, leading to a mouth-watering contest between the bat and the ball.
New Zealand’s hopes for a dream start turning into reality continued to haunt India after Kohli started walking back without troubling the scorers.
ORourke silenced the crowd at M Chinnaswamy Stadium by extracting extra bounce off the surface with his bounce, taking Kohli by surprise.
The Indian stalwart tried to defend the ball off his toes but ended up gloving it to Glenn Phillips, who came flying from leg gully to take a stunning catch. This was Kohli’s first duck in 32 innings, with his last coming against the same opposition in 2021 at Wankhede.
With Kohli joining Rohit in the dressing room in the opening hour for a 9-ball duck, India’s woes rose to new levels in the next over.
Sarfaraz Khan, who got his much-awaited opportunity, slapped the ball with the bottom edge of the bat. Devon Conway sprang to his right at extra cover to complete a screamer of a catch.
With Sarfaraz returning back with a three-ball duck, Rishabh Pant and Jaiswal eased the nerves by forging a 21-run partnership. The rain momentarily haunted the play, allowing India to reorganize their plans.
Tom Blundell dropped a straightforward catch, offering Pant and the Indian team a moment of reprieve.
With a couple of boundaries and the Indian batters growing in confidence, Jaiswal tried to slap the ball towards the backward point. He went with power but failed to get the placement right. Ajaz Patel leapt low and completed a remarkable catch to end Jaiswal’s stay at the crease.
KL Rahul came in and was welcomed by ORourke by smashing the ball straight into the Indian’s glove. With Rahul rattled, ORourke came back in his next over to take the rewards for his efforts.
With India itching to score runs, ORourke lured Rahul into making a blunder and tickled the ball down to Blundell’s left. With Rahul becoming the third batter to register a duck for India, Ravindra Jadeja became the fourth to enter the list.
A miscued shot from the experienced southpaw was enough for Henry to show him the way back to the dugout for a six-ball duck.
Jadeja’s dismissal marked the final action of the first session as the umpires decided to call for lunch, with India’s scoreboard reading 34/6. (ANI)
