New Zealand on Sunday secured their first Test win in India in 36 years after clinching an eight-wicket win in the first Test at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. Will Young (48 not out) and Rachin Ravindra (39 not out) anchored New Zealand’s chase of 107 in 27.4 overs.
Tom Latham and Co were favourites to win the Test after bowling out India for a paltry 46 in the first innings on day 2 after rain had washed out day 1.
Riding on Rachin Ravindra’s second Test century, New Zealand posted 402 in their first innings to take a 356-run lead.
In response, India scored 462 runs in the second innings with Sarfaraz Khan scoring his first Test century. Khan had crucial partnerships with Virat Kohli (70) and later Rishabh Pant (99) to anchor the Indian innings.
The second new ball on day four swung the match back in the Kiwis’ favour with Will O’Rourke and Matt Henry taking three wickets apiece as India scored just 58 runs for their final six wickets.
The Kiwis weathered tricky conditions on Sunday morning as Jasprit Bumrah exploited the overcast conditions to take the wickets of Latham and Devon Conway. However, as the conditions eased up, Young and Ravindra took the attack to the Indian bowlers and took their team to victory before lunch.
New Zealand lead the three match series 1-0 with the second match set to get underway on October 24 in Pune. The final match of the series will be held from November 1 in Mumbai.
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