New Zealand achieved an impressive eight-wicket victory, marking their first Test win in India since 1988, as they chased down 107 runs and humbled the home side early on the final day of the rain-affected series opener on Sunday.
After dismissing India for a mere 46, their worst home total, and responding with 402 runs, New Zealand bowled out Rohit Sharma’s team for 462 in the second innings on Saturday, setting the stage for a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
Will Young (48 not out) and Rachin Ravindra (39 not out) stayed composed under pressure, recovering from the loss of two early wickets to secure the win, giving New Zealand only their third victory on Indian soil in 38 attempts dating back to 1955.
“It was probably a good toss to lose,” said New Zealand skipper Tom Latham.
“The guys came out in that first innings, put the ball in the right areas for long periods of time and managed to get the results.
“The first two innings of the game… I think we set the game up beautifully. We knew India were going to come back in the third innings and they put us under pressure, but the way the seamers came back with the new ball… fantastic performance.”
New Zealand began the day with a shaky start following a rain delay, as new permanent skipper Latham was trapped lbw by Jasprit Bumrah on the second ball of the day, departing for a duck with the team yet to score.
Bumrah and fellow pace bowler Mohammed Siraj made life difficult for the New Zealand batsmen early on, as India aimed to achieve what no team has done in Test history: win a match after conceding a first-innings lead of over 350 runs.
