New Zealand have won the 1st Test in Wellington.
India vs New Zealand (IND vs NZ) 1st Test Day 4 Highlights: New Zealand have won the 1st Test by 10 wickets. They chased down a short target of 9 runs before Lunch on Day 4 in the 1st Test, going 1-0 up in the series. India were all out for 191 in the second innings, managing to take a lead of only 8 runs. This is India’s first defeat in a Test since their loss to Australia in 2018.
Ajinkya Rahane’s resistance was ended by Trent Boult in the third over of the day, sinking India deep into crisis. Hanuma Vihari was bowled out by Tim Southee in the next over. Rishabh Pant then started playing aggressive cricket and India gained the lead at the hour-mark. The resistance was ended soon after, as Tim Southee took a second innings fifer.
Match EndedIndia tour of New Zealand, 2020 - 1st Test
New Zealand
348 (100.2) & 9/0 (1.4)vs
India
165 (68.1) & 191 (81.0)Match Ended ( Day 4 - 1st Test )
New Zealand beat India by 10 wickets
New Zealand beat India by 10 wickets
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The next Test starts on February 29th, Saturday in Christchurch. Scott Styris says in the studio a pitch similar to the one at Wellington could be expected for that one. India will look to level the series in Christchurch. The match will be the last match of what has been a long tour for India. They won the T20Is but have lost all the ODIs and Tests played so far. Also ominously for India, Neil Wagner can be expected to be back for the 2nd Test to beef up the pace attack. Also, Tim Southee, Man of the Match in Wellington, has a terrific record in Christchurch.
Kohli says, 'The toss did matter. We were just not competitive enough. Anything in the region of 220-230 would have made it different.' He also says Mayank Agarwal and Ajinkya Rahane were the two batsmen who showed some spine and that the bowling unit was good enough. "Our strength is to put enough runs on the board and let our bowlers attack. We need to take more responsibility as a batting group," he adds.
Tim Southee, who took five wickets in the 2nd innings and 9 wickets in the match, is named the Man of the Match.
This is India’s first Test defeat since their lose to Australia at Perth in 2018. And what a woeful way to go down for India in Wellington. Nothing went right for India in the match, right from the toss. Ishant Sharma's tireless spells and Mayank Agarwal could be said to be the only positive for India in the match. On the other hand, this was New Zealand's 100th Test win.
Blundell brings up the winning runs. New Zealand win the 1st Test by 10 wickets. Bumrah bowls a few dot balls but cannot stave off the inevitable defeat.
No mucking around from the New Zealand openers. Latham gets off the mark with a boundary and then the batsmen scamper through for three runs. 7 runs off the first 4 balls. Blundell gets a single off the last ball. Scores are tied after 1 over.
All set for what should be a very short chase. 9 runs to win the 1st Test. Latham and Blundell open for New Zealand. Ishant Sharma will bowl for India. This will be New Zealand's 100th Test match win. What a landmark for the country.
Bumrah is gone. Edged to slips. 2nd innings fifer for Tim Southee. India's collapse is complete in Wellington. Bumrah goes for a duck. India manage to be all out for 191 in the 2nd innings. New Zealand will need 9 when they come out to bat after a short break.
Pant's counter attacking innings ends. Trent Boult catches at fine leg. Southee gets another wicket. Pant is gone and India's last wicket pair is now out there. IND 191/9 after 80.3 overs, lead by 8 runs
Pant continues swinging at everything. It has worked for him today but he is very close to losing all support now. He lets the last ball of the over through to the keeper. New ball due now and so is the victory. Could it be all over by Lunch? IND 190/8 after 80 overs, lead by 7 runs
Ishant Sharma is given out lbw. No review taken. India are 8 down now. His brave resistance ends. Colin de Grandhomme gets a wicket to his name. Ishant Sharma is gone for 12 off 21 balls. Shami comes in at No.10. IND 189/8 after 79.2 overs, lead by 6 runs
Ishant Sharma swats Jamieson awat for four. India get into the lead. By 1 run. Pant smashes Jamieson for four to fine leg off the 5th ball. Good to see India play aggressive cricket at this stage. A bit of a fight back at last. IND 189/7 after 79 overs, lead by 6 runs
With India on the brink of losing in Wellington, their away woes continie in this format. In terms of recent away tours to the SENA countries, they lost to South Africa in SA 1-2, lost to England in ENG 1-4. They did manage to beat Australia 2-1 last year but that was a depleted side bereft of Steve Smith and David Warner.
Ishant Sharma is dropped. For the second time in the morning. Tim Southee at short cover dives in but the ball spills out. New Zealand were close to wicket number 8 there. The fifth ball is edged to fine leg and Pant has to get back on strike for the final ball of the over. De Grandhomme has been brought on to give the strike bowlers a bit of arest. Maybe to keep them fresh for the new ball which will soon be abvailable. India get to the drinks break at the end of the first hour of play, but barely managing to hold on. IND 180/7 after 78 overs, trail by 3 runs
Pant lofts it above the infield and the batsmen scamper through for two runs. Jamieson on as the changes bowler. Replays show Ishant was dropped by forward short leg in the last over. The ball had struck his pad but replays show there had been an edge before it went on to hit his pad. Lucky for Ishant. Pant hits it on the leg side and cannot get back for two. Ishant Sharma needs to face four balls in the over. Ishant hops around a few deliveries. He is swinging around a little wildly at the moment. No effort from India to play conservative cricket. IND 178/7 after 77 overs, trail by 5 runs
Ishant slashes Boult down the off side. Positive batting from him. 2 runs taken. Ishant not fast enough for a third run. Was again rapped on the pads off the first ball. The fifth ball draws a beautiful shot from Ishant. That beats the fielder in the chase and runs down for four. Finally runs have started to come for either end for India. IND 175/7 after 76 overs, trail by 8 runs
Pant clips one off the pads and gets 2 runs with a push to deep mid-wicket. Southee reacts with a bouncer. Pant ducks. Pant is taking most of the strike. He would have been itching to get on to bat for the entire tour, he wants to make the most of his time here. The fifth ball is hoicked with power. Four! Southee bowls the last ball very wide. Pant leaves it alone and Ishant will have to face for the next over. IND 169/7 after 75 overs, trail by 14 runs
Boult narrowly beats Pant's edge off the fifth ball. One single down to fine leg off the last ball as Pant retains the strike for the next over. No attacking shots in that over. Ashwin's wicket has sobered up Pant a little at the moment. The innings defeat possibility looms again. IND 163/7 after 74 overs, trail by 20 runs
Ishant Sharma is floored with a rap on the pads by Southee. No lbw decision that time but Southee is clearly an intimidating figure at the moment. Rishabh Pant took a single off the first ball of the over and he has to watch Ishant and Ashwin struggle with Southee for the rest of the over. Pant will be on strike to Boult in the next over. IND 162/7 after 73 overs, trail by 21 runs
Southee strikes again! Ashwin given out lbw. Review not taken. India did have one review. Looking at replays of that dismissal might be interesting. Might have been heading down leg stump, that ball. Ishant Sharma comes out to join Pant. Ishant was the hero for India with the ball. Too much to ask of him to do something similar with the bat but his ability to stick around is well known. IND 162/7 after 72.3 overs, trail by 21 runs.
Another maiden over from Boult as Ashwin plays six dot balls. No shots offered there. Just getting bat to ball the order of the day for Ashwin. There's still plenty of swing on offer for the left hander. All eyes on Pant now. Something is bound to happen when he's there. IND 161/6 after 72 overs, trail by 22 runs
Pant pulls a short ball from Southee for four. Smashed to deep midwicket. Pant is not looking to hold back on his strokes. Not committing to the back foot or the front foot. Pushed his weight to the backfoot just so lightly. And the last ball of the over is also lofted over above the infield for a boundary. Pant will play aggressive cricket. That much is clear. Will it help India's cause? We shall see but there have been 2 boundaries in that over and India are already close to staving off the innings defeat eventuality. IND 161/6 after 71 overs, trail by 22 runs
Pant keeps strike with a single off the last ball of the over. The morning of Day 4 was supposed to be good for batting but India's batsmens' technique have been found wanting again in windy Wellington. IND 153/6 after 70 overs, trail by 30 runs
Ashwin, the new man in, gets off the mark with a four. Not the most auspicous way to do it though. A thick edge off the bat past his legs takes it past the keeper and fine leg is too far out to come around. India get to 150. Another successful over for New Zealand though. IND 152/6 after 69 overs, trail by 31 runs
Southee gets another wicket! Goes through Vihari's gate and knocks off his off stump. New Zealand go BANG BANG and have India on the mat early on in the morning of Day 4. That is the end of the last recognized batsman. Ashwin joins Pant and India now need a miracle to get back in the match. Will this turn out to be a full blown collapse now? Could we even get an innings defeat? IND 148/6 after 68.3 overs, trail by 35 runs
Trent Boult with a huge shout against Pant. New Zealand have no reviews left. Pant survives and that would probably have missed the stumps. A terrific over from Boult. A wicket and no runs and an lbw appeal against the new batsman. IND 148/5 after 68 overs, trail by 35 runs, and in deep crisis.
Boult gets his man! A changle works. He bowls from around the wicket and Ajinkya Rahane is Boult's fourth wicket of the innings as he edges it through to the keeper. Rahane goes for 29 off 75 deliveries. And India's chances of making a match out of this just got dented even more. Rishabh Pant joins Vihari. And New Zealand have got the kind of start they wanted to Day 4. IND 148/5 after 67.2 overs, trail by 35 runs
Tim Southee, sharing the ball with Boult on the morning of Day 4, starts off with a maiden over. Vihari was not unduly troubled in that over but Southee is also getting some early swing. This pair need to ride out the opening hour so that they are around when the new ball is taken.
Rahane starts off the day with a four on the off side. What New Zealand will take heart from is that that was not from the middle of the bat. He went for a drive but that went to the third man area. The first runs of the day have come but there is some early swing from Boult. IND 148/4 after 66 overs, trail by 35 runs
Official update from the NZ camp that Tom Blundell will not take part in fielding. He was injured in the field yesterday. He will bat in his normal position though. Which means that he is a doubtful starter for the 2nd Test in Christchurch.
The players are in the middle. All set for another day of classic Test cricket. Two of India's Test specialists Rahane and Vihari, who batted yesterday for 87 minutes, walk out to the middle. No real wind to speak of today. Boult bowls the first over. Rahane is on strike for the first over of Day 4. Here we go!
Conditions are good for batting and if Rahane and Bihari can stitch a partnership together, who's to say India cannot put New Zealand under pressure on Day 5. Conversely though, if New Zealand can run through this partnership within the first few minutes of the day (remember, Bumrah got Watling with the first ball of Day 3) this match could be over very very fast. Might even not last till a third session today. India trail by 39 runs. That could seem like 39 runs too many if NZ can start well today. 15 overs till the second new ball after action starts. Around 15 minutes left to Day 4 now.
India's Test series has not brought too many joys for the team yet, but the charm of having 5 days of 'proper cricket' in windy Wellington can never be lived down. The most hardcore lovers of the sport have congregrated in NZ for this Kohli vs Williamson contest. Williamson's boys are winning it at the moment, but as coach Ravi Shastri would say, 'At the end of the day, cricket is the real winner'. Around half an hour to Day 4.
Day 4 has welcomed us with the bluest skies we have seen so far in the Test match in Wellington. With the pitch having eased up as well, Day 4 is set to be a good day for batting. Can India make amends for their 1st innings collapse? Rahane looked solid in the first innings. That is the best hope India have at the start of the day. India trail by 39 runs. Day 4 begins at 4 am IST.
Rahane and Vihari will step out for India in an hour's time as India look to bounce back in the first Test in Wellington. With 6 wickets in hand in their 2nd innings, they are still trailing by 39 runs. Pant and Ashwin the two next batsmen to come in. India's only way of forcing a fight out of this match is if this partnership between Rahane and Vihari continues till the halfway point of Day 4, by which time India can be expected to have earned a lead of around 100 runs. Then, if Pant can add a few quick runs, New Zealand might be made to feel the pressure if Ashwin can get some turn and the target is around 200.