IND vs NZ: India, who started their long schedule of 10-test matches with a win against Bangladesh in their home series, next saw New Zealand visiting the Indian subcontinent for the same.
India has not had the finest of starts to the series, as they faced sheer humiliation in having succumbed to a low score of 46, which is the second-lowest ever WTC total score in the history of the game, and both of them have been part of the Indian team’s tally of runs.
The Kiwis batted on the same track as they put on a far better score when first Devon Conway on Day 2 and later Rachin Ravindra the centurion alongside Tim Southee, who batted down the order for a quickfire fifty, led the Blackcaps to a huge 400+ total.
The Indian batters pulled in a better match in the second inning, as skipper Sharma gave the start with a quickfire fifty, followed by Kohli and Sarfaraz’s master partnership to end the day with a respectable 231/3.
However, for India, who are supposed to win at least 5 of their next 8 test matches, nothing would concern them if India loses the first Test against New Zealand. This loss, if it takes place, will not jeopardize India’s WTC chances.
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However, this would be a concern for sure—that India would have been in a better position if they could have clean-swept the New Zealand team under home conditions. With two days left in the test, we still await the match, with India trailing by 125 runs.
With the threat of rain still over the Bengaluru ground, the overcast conditions might prevail again as the match could go in favour of the visiting team, who are very adapted to such conditions. India would still be in the hope of strengthening their scope in the remaining two tests before they enter the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, which is supposed to begin in Australia next month.
