India vs New Zealand LIVE Score 1st Test Day 2: NZ lead crosses 100 runs

India vs New Zealand LIVE Score 1st Test Day 2:

The Kiwis had earler dismissed India for a record low score of 46 with pacers Matt Henry and Will O’Rourke running riot. Matt Henry registered figures of 5/15 while Will O’Rourke returned 4/22. Veteran Tim Southee started the procession and he registered figures of 1/8. This is India’s third-lowest score in a Test innings and their lowest ever at home.

The New Zealand fast bowlers made the Indian batters dance to their tune in the first session and the hosts were reduced to 13/3 before rain interrupted play in the 13th over. While Rohit Sharma and Sarfaraz Khan fell to Tim Southee and Matt Henry respectively playing attacking shots, Virat Kohli got an absolute snorter from the tall Will O’Rourke. Kohli and Sarfaraz fell for ducks while Rohit went after scoring two runs in 16 balls. Yashasvi Jaiswal has done well to survive the trial by pace and he had Rishabh Pant at the other end when the umpires led the players off the field due to ran.

Shubman Gill is sitting out and Sarfaraz made it to the Indian squad while Kuldeep Yadav has replaced Akash Deep as Rohit won the toss and said that the hosts are batting first in their first Test against New Zealand at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. Rohit said that Gill is not fully fit and the fact that India have brought in Kuldeep for pacer Akash Deep shows that they are preferring to use their spin-bowling prowess against New Zealand. Visiting captain Tom Latham said that they are sticking with a three-man pace attack with Ajaz Patel, Glenn Phillips and Rachin Ravindra as their spinners.

The first day of the Test was called off without the toss taking place due to persistent drizzles but the conditions are looking far better for Day 2. Toss took place at 8.45am as scheduled, with play set to start half an hour early as is usually the case when the previous day has been hampered. While there is a cloud cover over the stadium, rains stayed away in the hours leading up to the toss.

However, the weather is expected to play a role later in the day. Rain has been forecast towards the end of the first session and around 4pm today. Nevertheless, fans and players will hold out hope that significant amount of cricket can be played on Day 2.

Some key players are expected to miss out on this encounter, with Kane Williamson pulling out of the first Test match and Shubman Gill also reportedly dealing with a setback. Mark Chapman is expected to step in for Williamson, while Gill could be replaced by Sarfaraz Khan in a move which sees KL Rahul move further back up the order once again.

All three of the sessions have been extended for day two, with the aim of getting 98 overs in the day, but the forecast promises persistent rain through Thursday as well, which might make the hope of achieving too much play a little difficult. There were also reported difficulties with calibrating Hawkeye at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, with the constant presence of covers meaning play was further delayed.

New Zealand continue to struggle with weather affecting play in the subcontinent, with the entirety of their scheduled one-off Test against Afghanistan, meant to be played in Greater Noida, being rained out last month.

On the Indian front, this rain-out has a big influence on the World Test Championship permutations. India entered this series aware that a 3-0 whitewash would be enough to seal their spot in the finals. However, if this match results in a draw after losing some days, India will have their task cut out with the need to produce results in Australia during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

India will want to get more playing time under the belt for players such as Akash Deep, who might need to be a frontline seamer down under depending on the fitness of Mohammed Shami, as well as Rishabh Pant, who is making his comeback from a long time out with injury. The wicketkeeper-batter had a strong return to Test cricket against Bangladesh.

India’s 2-0 win over Bangladesh continued a strong year for India, who earlier beat England 4-1 in the home series. The T20 World Cup trophy was also a huge boost of confidence for the team, before the introduction of Gautam Gambhir to the role of head coach. This series will allow Gambhir and his unit to gain more experience before the blockbuster tour in Australia.

Meanwhile, New Zealand have struggled with consecutive series losses at home against Australia, and while touring Sri Lanka, getting whitewashed in both contests. This will be an opportunity for the Kiwis to bounce back, but a lot will depend on their spin bowling quality, with Ajaz Patel leading them in that department.

New Zealand will hope to catch their hosts napping as they prepare to start play in Bangalore, with the potential to create a scare for India in what will be a shortened Test match.

Here are some highlights from IND vs NZ first Test Day 2:

– New Zealand raced past India’s total and Devon Conway got to his half-century

– India were all out for 46, their lowest-ever Test score at home

– As many as five Indian batters fell for ducks

– India were reduced to their last wicket without scoring 50 runs

– Henry and O’Rourke both went on to complete four-fers

– Matt Henry dismissed Sarfaraz Khan on a duck thanks to a brilliant catch from Devon Conway

– Rohit fell early to Tim Southee after which Kohli fell for a duck against Will O’Rourke

– Rohit Sharma won the toss and chose to bat first

– Shubman Gill is missing out and Sarfaraz Khan has taken his place

– India have gone with Kuldeep Yadav as their third spinner in place of Akash Deep

– While it is cloudy, rains have stayed away for much of the morning on Day 2

– Day 1 was washed out without the toss taking place