Sarfaraz Khan and Rishabh Pant had given the bowlers a chance with their breathtaking 177-run partnership on Day IV. On the final day at the Chinnaswamy in Bengaluru, Jasprit Bumah and Mohammed Siraj were probing in the morning session.
But, only Bumrah could strike twice before Will Young and Rachin Ravindra ensured New Zealand comfortably reached home to win the opening Test by eight wickets and go one up in the three-match series.
Maybe the presence of a third pacer could have helped India, especially with the new ball on that Day V surface, though 107 was too little to defend. However, it all boils down to that forgettable first morning when India were shot out for 46 and then couldn’t offer any sort of resistance following the dismissals of Sarfaraz and Pant after the duo had put the pressure right back on the Black Caps.
Obviously, when the second Test in Pune begins on Thursday, New Zealand will be going into the game with a better frame of mind. But despite this defeat, there were positives for India in the first Test with the overall fearless approach of the youngsters standing out.
Besides, India went on to win four Tests on the trot against England earlier this year after losing the opener in Hyderabad. That 4-1 series win over England, too, is one aspect from which captain Rohit Sharma and his teammates are drawing inspiration.
“I am not going to look too much into this Test match, honestly, because those three hours (on Thursday morning) are not going to dictate what this team is. It will be unfair to think about those three hours and start judging players and talk slightly differently,” Rohit said at the post-match news conference.
“Now, it’s just about keeping a very calm atmosphere and not to send panic messages. We had lost to England too in the series opener this year but went on to win the next four Tests. So, it’s important that we stay strong and try and see how we can nail that second game.
“I feel a lot of good things have happened in this game as well. We don’t change our mindset based on one game or one series and aren’t going to change our mindset fearing losing a Test. It’s about trying not to let the opposition know that we are under pressure or we are behind the game.
“When you are actually behind, you want to try and do extraordinary things and play without any fear. Some of the Test matches we played recently show what I am talking about and that’s how it’s going to be. It’s one thing to talk about it, but actually, we went out there and played some fearless cricket,” Rohit said, referring to the Kanpur Test win over Bangladesh, which India won even after more than six sessions of the game were lost due to rain.
For the second Test which begins in Pune on Thursday, India have added off-spinner all-rounder Washington Sundar to the squad, adding to their options.
WTC table
India’s World Test Championship (WTC) percentage points following this defeat dropped to 68.06, yet they continued to lead the standings. Second-placed Australia have 62.50 percentage points, with Sri Lanka third at 55.56.
New Zealand, on the other hand, moved up to fourth in the standings from sixth following their eight-wicket win at the Chinnaswamy. The Black Caps have 44.44 percentage points currently.
For Rohit and Co. to seal their place in the WTC final regardless of the other results, they need at least four wins and two draws (56 points) in their remaining seven Tests, which will then give them 67.54 percentage points. If India get fewer than 56 points in these games, there’s then a possibility of them not being in the top two.
