India vs New Zealand Day 2: Five Indian batters out for zero as team shot out for a shocking 46

BENGALURU: The last time New Zealand faced India at home, it suffered a humiliating collapse for just 62 runs at Wankhede in 2021. On Thursday, it gave India a taste of its own medicine as the rains subsided to make way for one of the most iconic collapses in the history of Indian cricket.

New Zealand’s quicks, led by Matt Henry and William O’Rourke, made India look helpless, sending Indian batters packing for a mere 46 runs. This ensured that India recorded its lowest-ever Test total on home soil and the third lowest overall in the format.

Skipper Rohit Sharma’s decision to bat first completely backfired, as persistent cloud cover and moisture in the Bengaluru air favoured the Kiwi seamers, who caught the Indian batters by surprise. The silence in the air resonated with disbelief from both players and fans in the stadium.

“We thought we would bat first too; I guess it’s a good toss to lose. It was nice when those clouds started coming in after the toss was done. By seeing the conditions in the morning, we talked about being relentless with the ball and being patient. That was something we aimed to do, and thankfully it paid off,” said pacer Matt Henry at the post-day press conference. Henry had a particularly eventful Thursday, picking up a five-wicket haul and his 100th Test wicket.

Veteran Tim Southee got things going for the Kiwis by claiming the crucial wicket of Rohit early in the day’s play. Rohit misjudged a wobble-seam delivery that clipped the top of his leg stump, marking the beginning of India’s downfall.

Virat Kohli last batted at No 3 almost eight years ago, and stepping in that position on Thursday proved fatal as O’Rourke capitalised on the opportunity. A short, rising delivery nipped the glove of Kohli and was caught by Glenn Phillips at leg gully. This marked the Indian star’s 38th duck—a number he would surely like to forget.

Sarfaraz Khan, who came in as a replacement for the injured Shubman Gill, was also dismissed for a duck, mis-hitting a shot that was caught by Devon Conway at mid-off, who executed a stunning one-handed catch.

A flurry of wickets followed, with Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, and KL Rahul all walking back to the pavilion without scoring.

India was reeling at 34/6 as players headed for lunch, and Matt Henry picked up two more wickets after the break, including the crucial wicket of Rishabh Pant, as India was bowled out for just 46 runs.

India had entered the match with two seamers, and Rohit would have expected the conditions to favor his side as well. However, just as the Indian players made their way onto the field, the skies over Bengaluru cleared, and there was sunshine.

The seamers couldn’t inflict much damage in the opening spell, and it was wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav who gave India its first breakthrough by removing skipper Tom Latham.

Devon Conway went on to score 91 runs, falling short of a century. Despite losing three wickets, New Zealand remained in complete control of the game, finishing day two with a lead of 134 runs.

Brief scores: India 46 in 31.2 overs (M Henry 5/15, W O’Rourke 4/22) vs New Zealand 180/3 in 50 overs (D Conway 91)