On day two of the first Test in Bengaluru, India was bowled out for a mere 46 by New Zealand, recording their third-lowest total in Test cricket history. After the entire first day was washed out due to rain, India elected to bat on a pitch favoring seamers but struggled against New Zealand’s formidable bowling attack.
Key Indian players, including Virat Kohli, Sarfaraz Khan, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, and Ravichandran Ashwin, all fell for ducks. New Zealand’s seamers Matt Henry and Will O’Rourke delivered exceptional performances, with figures of 5-15 and 4-22, respectively.
Only Rishabh Pant, with 20, and Yashasvi Jaiswal, who scored 13, managed to reach double digits. Despite their dismal total, India still holds the top position in the World Test Championship standings.
It was India’s lowest total in a home Test, only beaten by their 36 all out against Australia in Adelaide in 2020 and 42 against England at Lord’s in 1974
Jaiswal and captain Rohit Sharma had edged to 9-0 in the seventh over when Rohit was bowled by Tim Southee as he advanced to attempt a wild drive.
Kohli did not score in his nine balls before gloving 23-year-old O’Rourke, playing his fifth Test, to leg slip.
Sarfaraz was caught at mid-off attempting a counter-attack and, after a short rain delay and a 10-over partnership returning just 21 runs with Pant, Jaiswal cut O’Rourke to point.
Rahul was caught down the leg side in O’Rourke’s next over and an over later, Jadeja skied a catch off a leading edge and Ashwin edged to gully in consecutive balls off Henry.
Henry’s next over returned the wicket of Pant, who poked an edge to second slip, and the seamer produced a fine sprawling catch soon after to catch Jasprit Bumrah’s top-edge at fine leg.
Henry then claimed his fourth Test five-wicket haul by having Kuldeep Yadav caught in the gully.