The much-awaited first Test match after a rain-soaked Day 1 India and New Zealand finally started at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. The opening day was completely washed out due to incessant rain and the fans were in action as they looked forward to the 2nd day. Indian team captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and elected to bat first in overcast conditions, setting the stage for an exciting contest.
Tim Southee gets Rohit Sharma cheap early
As soon as the game started, New Zealand led the pace attack Tim Southee and Matt Henryquickly made its presence felt. The duo used the swing conditions effectively to put pressure on Rohit and the Indian bowlers. Yashasvi Jaiswal. Rohit, under scrutiny after a poor performance in recent matches, tried to assert himself but fell prey to Southee’s skillful bowling. To get the ball down, Rohit misjudged a sharply pulled back delivery which resulted in his stumps being split – leaving India in a precarious position early in the innings.
Also READ: Top 5 best bowling performances in India vs New Zealand Tests – October 2024
We present the video:
Well Southee does it not with Henry but also with electricity. It starts from the root and ends by hitting the leg stump. pic.twitter.com/d17jUCt8mE
— Jomboy (@Jomboy_) October 17, 2024
Virat Kohli and Sarfaraz Khan fail to impress with the bat
Things got worse for India as they lost two more wickets without adding any runs to their total. Virat Kohli and Sarfaraz Khan both went for ducks and deepened the team’s woes. Kohli’s struggles continued as he faced a tough spell from the New Zealand bowlers. With India reeling from three wickets down for zero runs, the pressure was put on the middle order to steady the innings.
Chinnaswamy weather continues
As we approached Day 2, weather concerns grew. Forecasts indicated that rain could disrupt play again throughout the day with persistent cloud cover and precipitation forecast. The elite drainage system at the Chinnaswamy Stadium is designed to handle such conditions efficiently; however, the likelihood of further disruptions remained high.
Both teams realized the importance of this Test series not only for individual performances but also for their position in the tournament. World Test Championship (WTC). India aimed to consolidate their position at the top of the table as New Zealand looked to bounce back after a string of disappointing results. With both sides missing key players—Kane Williamson For New Zealand and Shubman Gill For India – the match promised to be a test of grit and skill.
