New Zealand, who were looking for a Test match win in India since 1988, has finally achieved a turnaround against India by winning the first Test, comfortably chasing down a target of 107 runs. Apart from Day 1 which got washed out, after that they won multiple sessions, especially on Day 2, where the Kiwi bowlers completely dominated and delivered a remarkable performance which is still hurting Indian cricket fans as India registered their lowest Test score at home (46). When New Zealand came to bat, it was Devon Conway first, followed by Rachin Ravindra, who snatched the spotlight, helping the team gain a big lead over the hosts.
Although India came to bat trailing by more than 300 runs, but showed a batting masterclass, from Virat Kohli initially to Rishabh Pant. However, the young player who truly got the spotlight was Sarfaraz Khan, whose impressive 150 runs helped the team surpass the 100-run mark. But again, after the Kiwis took the new ball, they began a demolition job, clearing the Indian batters. As a result, India was bundled out for 462, which turned out to be insufficient, as they only managed a lead of 107 runs, which the Black Caps chased down.
So, how is the WTC table looking now? See the updated WTC table after the India vs NZ 1st Test match.
WTC points table
| Teams | M | W | L | T | D | N/R | PT | PCT |
| India | 12 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 98 | 68.06 |
| Australia | 12 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 90 | 62.5 |
| Sri Lanka | 9 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 60 | 55.56 |
| New Zealand | 9 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 48 | 44.44 |
| England | 18 | 9 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 93 | 43.06 |
| South Africa | 6 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 28 | 38.89 |
| Bangladesh | 8 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 34.38 |
| Pakistan | 9 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 25.93 |
| West Indies | 9 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 20 | 18.52 |
How can India qualify for the WTC final 2025?
After losing this game, not much is going to change, as India needs three wins out of eight. For now, they have lost one, which means the upcoming two Tests against the Kiwis are crucial before heading to the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia, where the team will play five Test matches and needs to win at least one to strengthen their chances of reaching the WTC final for the third consecutive time.
