Bengaluru: New Zealand won the first Test of the three-match series against India on Sunday with an eight-wicket victory. The team scripted history at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru by winning a Test for the first time since 1988. Rachin Ravindra was the star of the show for New Zealand as he played a scintillating knock of 134 runs while Matt Henry picked five wickets.
After winning the toss, the Indian team opted to bat first despite overcast conditions at the venue. The team faced the consequences of their decision as the Indian batters found it difficult to handle the disciplined bowling from Kiwi seamers. India were bundled out for 46 as Matt Henry and William ORourke picked five and four wickets respectively. In response, New Zealand posted a total of 402 courtesy of Rachin Ravindra's prolific knock of 134 runs for the Blackcaps. Tim Southee also contributed while batting lower down the order with a knock of 65 runs from just 73 deliveries.
A memorable win for New Zealand as they take a 1-0 lead in the #WTC25 series against India 👊#INDvNZ | 📝 Scorecard: https://t.co/Ktzuqbb61r pic.twitter.com/sQI74beYr8
— ICC (@ICC) October 20, 2024
After trailing by 356 runs in the first innings, India were on their way to bounce back as the Indian top order fired on all cylinders. India were at 408/4 with Rohit Sharma (52), Virat Kohli (70), Sarfaraz Khan (150) and Rishabh Pant (99) all playing impressive knocks. However, the team lost the next six wickets in a span of 54 runs and gave the visitors a target of only 107 runs.
New Zealand's first innings ended at 402 all out, Rachin Ravindra's incredible Test century a joy to watch.
— SENZ (@SENZ_Radio) October 18, 2024
India face a 356-run deficit, tune into SENZ now for the second innings: https://t.co/lZMow2FlEy#INDvNZ | @BLACKCAPS | @SEN_Cricket pic.twitter.com/EL5AlxLGwL
New Zealand chased the target with ease losing only a couple of wickets on their way. The Blackcaps now lead the series by 1-0 and will look to seal a win in the next fixture as well. India, on the other hand, would be aiming to level the scores with a victory in the Pune Test starting from Thursday.
