It is no secret that Team India’s 46-run all out has got more to do with India’s poor shot selection, than the damp pitch and overcast conditions, during the second day of IND vs NZ Test in Bengaluru. As many five Indian batsmen — Virat Kohli, Sarfaraz Khan, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, and R Ashwin, were dismissed for a duck.
Otherwise also, Rishabh Pant emerged as the top-scorer with 20 from 49 deliveries. Yashasvi Jaiswal managed only 13, and were only two players in the team, who managed double scores. Skipper Rohit Sharma admitted to the faults committed by the Indian batsmen.
“On a pitch where there were assistance for seamers, and now that we got out for 46, you can say the shot selection wasn’t upto the mark. It was a bad day. Sometimes you want to do something but could not execute,” Rohit told reporters.
IND vs NZ, As it Happnened
Despite winning the toss, Rohit Sharma surprisingly opted to bat on a pitch that offered assistance to the pacers. And the Kiwi bowlers were right on the money, Matt Henry returned with five wickets, while William ORourke produced four wickets. The highlight of the Indian innings was, the entire team managed to produce only four fours.
In reply, New Zealand batters made sure they surpassed the Indian total without any hiccup. Devon Conway led the way with his brisk 91, followed by Will Young’s 33. As for the Indian bowlers, they failed to produce inspiring spells, especially the spinners.
R Ashwin bagged a wicket, but leaked runs at 4.20 and ended the day with figures of 1/46. Kuldeep Yadav was even more ordinary, and bagged 1/56. Ravindra Jadeja picked up a wicket after giving away 28 runs.
