Opinion
Mint Quick Edit | India’s row of ducks in cricket: What went wrong?
Summary
- A bad decision to bat first? A ball that swung too much under overcast conditions? A score of 46 all out against New Zealand in Bengaluru is as dismal as it gets. Let’s see how the team fares in its second innings.
India had a confounding day on the cricket pitch in Bengaluru, with the team’s batting line-up sent packing by New Zealand for just 46 runs, the lowest they have scored in a Test match at home and their third-lowest in this format of the game overall.
The innings had as many as five ducks on India’s scoreboard, with Virat Kohli, Sarfaraz Khan, K.L. Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin all failing to score a single run.
Perhaps India’s decision to bat first upon winning the toss reflected a poor judgement of conditions. It had been raining in the city for the past few days and the sky was overcast.
Also read: India vs New Zealand 1st Test, Day 2: Rohit Sharma upset as Virat Kohli and KL Rahul miss crucial catch
That probably proved to be India’s undoing, with the Kiwi pace attack easily able to move the ball sharply. India also went in with three spinners, perhaps anticipating drier conditions, but the moisture made the pitch pace-friendly. Indian seamers, though, didn’t make similar headway against New Zealand’s batting.
By the end of the day, the visitors had taken a 134-run lead over our first-innings total, with their score at 180 for the loss of just three wickets. India will get to bat again. Whether the second innings will give our team a chance to redeem its reputation is now the question.
