 "5 key reasons behind India’s Bengaluru Test defeat to New Zealand")
It wasn’t the best of outings for Rohit Sharma-led Team India as they suffered an eight-wicket loss to New Zealand in the first Test in Bengaluru on Sunday. After winning the toss and opting to bat, India were dismissed for just 46 runs in the first innings, to which the Kiwis gave a strong response as they posted 402 on the board.
India’s batters, led by Sarfaraz Khan (150), Rishabh Pant (99), Virat Kohli (70) and Rohit Sharma (52) did script a fightback in the second innings, but the hosts only managed to take a lead of 106 runs in the second innings, heading into the fifth day.
India vs New Zealand 1st Test Day 5: As it happened
In their run-chase, despite losing openers Tom Latham (0) and Devon Conway (17), Will Young (48*) and Rachin Ravindra (39*) scripted the Kiwis’ eight-wicket chase with ease.
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The opening day of the first Test was washed out due to rain in Bengaluru, but the teams made up for the loss of time and fans were able to witness an exciting affair. However, questions remain as far as India are concerned, especially with a big season coming up that includes a five-match Test series in Australia.
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We take a look at five things that went wrong for India in Bengaluru:
Impact Shorts
More ShortsWinning the toss and opting to bat first
Day 1 of the Bengaluru Test had been washed out due to rain, and India’s decision to bat first on Day 2 in overcast conditions backfired. The hosts were dismissed for just 46 runs, their lowest Test team total at home, and their third-lowest Test total overall.
That collapse brought back ghosts of the past, particularly the Adelaide Test against Australia in 2020 when India were bundled out for 36. Matt Henry (5/15) was New Zealand’s wrecker-in-chief with William O’Rourke (4/22) and Tim Southee (1/8) playing the supporting roles.
It was indeed a rare batting failure for India, with as many as five players, including Virat Kohli and KL Rahul, being dismissed for ducks. Rishabh Pant was the top-scorer with 20 runs.
Rohit, however, stressed that India must go into the second Test looking at the positives. “We will take the positives and move forward. There are guys who have been in this situation before. We lost a game against England and won four games after that. Two Test matches to go and we know exactly what is needed from each one of us. We will try and put our best game forward,” he said at the presentation ceremony on Sunday.
India’s dropped catches in first innings
India’s woes could have been reduced a little bit had the hosts shown some awareness while fielding. Dropped catches were a cause for concern in New Zealand’s first innings and it’s not just one missed opportunity we’re talking about.
In the 13th over of the Kiwi innings, Tom Latham found the gap between slip fielders Virat Kohli and KL Rahul, both of whom failed to capitalise on the chance. More than Kohli, this was a good chance for Rahul to take the catch. Had Rahul dived to his right and taken the catch, Latham would have been dismissed in quite a fashion, but on this occasion, Rahul did not even make an effort.
Later in the innings, Rohit Sharma too had a couple of opportunities to dismiss Devon Conway and Will Young, but both of his chances went begging. Conway, in fact, went on to score 91 and play a huge role in the contest.
KL Rahul to face the axe in Pune after disappointing outing?
Another major talking point from this Test match is the worrying form of KL Rahul with the bat. Rahul had scored a half-century in India A’s Duleep Trophy match against India B in September and had followed it up with a fifty against Bangladesh in the Kanpur Test.
However, the Karnataka batter’s spot in the India playing XI for the second Test could be in danger, after he endured scores of 0 and 12 against New Zealand in Bengaluru. Shubman Gill missed the first Test against New Zealand due to neck stiffness, but soon after the conclusion of the first Test, Gill was seen practicing on the centre-wicket in Bengaluru, raising hopes of a comeback.
Shubman’s inclusion for the Pune Test could see Rahul dropped, especially with the fact that Sarfaraz Khan is in fine form, having scored a century in the second innings. India will need match-winners on their side, and this means the odds are heavily stacked against Rahul from this perspective.
Lack of wickets from second pacer Siraj
The form of Mohammed Siraj, India’s second pacer, could be a cause for concern for India. Siraj was hardly effective on Sunday morning, a time when India needed their two premier pacers (Other being Bumrah) to be on top of their game. Siraj finished the second innings with figures of 0/16 from seven overs.
Jasprit Bumrah, with figures of 2/29, was up to the mark on Sunday, but the same cannot be said of Siraj. He was hardly effective with the new ball and looked off-colour during New Zealand’s chase. There is no doubt that he has to go back to the training nets and work on his rhythm, but maybe Siraj also needs to tweak his approach to his bowling in pressure situations.
India’s batting collapse, from 408/4 to 462 all out
India’s top-order batters showed significant improvement in the second innings after their horror outing in the first innings. However, all the hard work a team has done goes for a toss if your team suffers a batting collapse. Much like how they did following the wicket of Sarfaraz Khan.
Much was expected from all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin to pick up from where Sarfaraz and Co left off, but instead, the duo was a massive letdown. William O’Rourke’s dismissal of Jadeja, was, in fact, the turning point for the Kiwis, and it was their game to lose from there on.
Ashwin, who was dismissed by Matt Henry, reviewed his LBW dismissal but to no avail. As the Hawkeye showed, the impact was umpire’s call with the ball hitting the top of the leg stump. For India to have any hopes of taking a 200-plus lead, they needed Ashwin and Jadeja to form a strong stand, like they did against Bangladesh. But, it was not meant to be.
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