Captain Rohit Sharma is confident that India will bounce back from the defeat in the first Test against New Zealand in Bengaluru.
| Photo Credit: K. Murali Kumar

Indian skipper Rohit Sharma is confident that his team will bounce back from the eight-wicket defeat against New Zealand in the opening Test by winning the next two games, just like it won four on trot against England earlier this year.

India paid the price for getting all out for 46 in the first innings, their lowest-ever total at home, despite special efforts from Sarfaraz Khan (150) and Rishabh Pant (99) in the second essay.

Rachin Ravindra was regal in both innings as he nullified India’s ace spinners with ease.

“Games like these happen. We will move forward. We lost a game against England and won four games after that. We know exactly what is needed from each one of us,” Rohit said at the post-match presentation ceremony here on Sunday.

He had been upfront in admitting that he read the conditions wrong but having said that, he never thought India would be bowled out for 46.

“I said in my press conference that we knew it will be sticky early on but we didn’t expect to be out for 46. New Zealand bowled well and we failed to respond to that,” Rohit said.

For the skipper, the silver lining was Sarfaraz and Pant’s approach in the second innings where India scored 462 to set a target of 107.

“It was a good effort with the bat in the second innings. We didn’t bat well in the first innings. So we knew what was ahead and couple of guys stood out.

“When you are 350 behind you can’t think too much about it, just got to see the ball and bat. Couple of partnerships were really exciting to watch. We could have easily been bowled out cheaply but proud of the effort.” He was really happy that the young duo batted only in the manner they know.

“Everyone is on the edge of the seat when those two bat. Rishabh left a few balls and then played shots. Sarfaraz showed great maturity as well.”

Practising on red and black soil in Chennai helped

Rachin Ravindra is a Chennai Super ‘King’ and no wonder the city gave him ample opportunity to bat on red and black soil tracks in order to prepare for Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja.

Ravindra’s superb 134 off 157 in the first innings was largely responsible for New Zealand enjoying a 350-run lead and then he scored 39 not out in a tricky chase to earn the Player of the Match award.

“As long as I am clear and know my plan, it helps. Knowing when to go forward or back helps. Was trying to get a feel of different pitches while preparing in Chennai, red and black soil. Netted everyday, invaluable experience,” Ravindra said.

“I try to be in good positions to be able to score, open up areas. Want to rotate strike too, not necessarily attack.” Ravindra’s grandparents still live in Bengaluru and it was a special effort in front of his family members with his father in the stands.

“It’s a nice city, was a nice wicket to bat on. Having family is emotional, phone starts blowing up, crowd too. Makes it even more special.” New Zealand skipper Tom Latham conceded that it was a good toss to lose taking conditions into account.

“I thought we’d bat, good toss to lose in the end. Guys put the ball in the right areas for a long time in the first innings and got rewards,” Latham, only the third Black Caps skipper after Graham Dowling (1969) and John Wright (1988) to win a Test in India, said.

“I knew India would come back and they did but our bowlers showed up with the second ball. We know what a quality side India are, we thought the new ball would help them too, built a couple of big partnerships, hundred stand got us forward.” The skipper was all praise for William O’Rourke, who took seven wickets in the match.

“O’Rourke has been fantastic, has hit the international stage like he belongs. Hits the pitch hard and gets it to move in the air and off the pitch. Hard to face him in the nets.

“(Tim) Southee and (Matt) Henry too. Southee’s partnership with Rachin was crucial. Rachin – a young guy who’s played a few Tests, but he’s slotted into a new role nicely over the last year. He settled the nerves with his batting today.”

India’s Virat Kohli (Centre) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (left), walk across the field after rains delayed the start of the day one of the first cricket test match between India and New Zealand at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, in Bengaluru, Wednesday, October 16, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AP

Rain of varying intensity washed out the first session of the first Test between India and New Zealand here on Wednesday (October 16, 2024).

Also read: Want to create a group of pacers and have plenty of options: Rohit

Even the toss, which was scheduled at 9 a.m. could not take place as rain came down relentlessly over the city from morning.

There was a smattering of spectators at the stadium despite the inclement weather.

But the only moment of excitement for them was the sighting of star batter Virat Kohli and opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, who went for an indoor net session along with assistant coach Abhishek Nayar.

Captain Rohit Sharma is seen during a practice session on the eve of the first Test against New Zealand in Bengaluru on October 15, 2024.
| Photo Credit: K. Murali Kumar

India Test captain Rohit Sharma threw his weight behind the four travelling reserves — Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Mayank Yadav and Prasidh Krishna.

The four cricketers could be taken to the five-Test series in Australia next month, Rohit said.

“The reason we wanted to keep them close to us was because we are thinking of taking them to Australia. We want to monitor them and see their workload. A lot of these guys have had injuries in the past, so it is important that we try and build them up. We want to create a group of fast bowlers where we have eight or nine options, not three or four options,” Rohit said at a press conference here on the eve of the first India-New Zealand Test.

Prasidh, however, bowled only eight overs for Karnataka in its Ranji Trophy match against Madhya Pradesh at Indore a few days ago.

Not rushing Shami

Rohit explained that it would be wrong to rush an injured Mohammed Shami into action. If he is not fully fit and ready for the rigours of red-ball cricket, Shami will not travel to Australia, Rohit said.

“It is very difficult for us to make a call on him (Shami). He recently had a setback. He had a swelling in his knee, which was quite unusual. Just when he was getting close to 100 per cent fitness, he had this swelling. That has put him back a little bit in his recovery,” Rohit said.

“He is working with the physios and doctors at NCA. We want him to be 100 percent fit. We don’t want to bring an undercooked Shami to Australia. That will not be the right decision. He has not played cricket for a year. It is quite tough for a fast bowler (to return to action), having missed so much cricket.

“We want to give him enough time to recover. He is supposed to play a couple of games before he plays international cricket. We will see where he is at after this New Zealand series, and then take a call at what stage of the Australia tour he will be fit.”

The pitch area is covered with plastic sheets as it rains, ahead of the first test match between India and New Zealand 2024, at the M. Chinnaswamy stadium (KSCA), in Bengaluru on October 15, 2024.
| Photo Credit: K. Murali Kumar

Rain could disrupt proceedings in the first India-New Zealand Test which commences at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Wednesday.

Heavy showers forced both teams to call off their training sessions on Tuesday. Play is likely to be interrupted in the first two days of the Test, at a minimum.

New Zealand will be wary regardless, as India recently showed that even a heavily truncated encounter cannot stop its march to victory.

Bangladesh learnt the hard way, going down in two days in the second Test at Kanpur earlier this month.

Poor record

The Kiwis must overcome a particularly poor record in India. The last Test win on these shores came all the way back in 1988 at Bombay, inspired by stellar shows from John Bracewell and Richard Hadlee. The 19 Tests that have followed have resulted in ten losses and nine draws. To make the task harder, key batter Kane Williamson is out for the first match due to a groin strain. Fast bowler Ben Sears, known to hurry batters with extra zip off the pitch, is also out injured. His replacement, uncapped Otago Volts bowler Jacob Duffy, will not be able to reach the city in time for start of play.

The visitor is expected to rely heavily on spinners Mitchell Santner, Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips and Ajaz Patel to carry the bulk of the load.

A 0-2 loss to Sri Lanka last month cannot help confidence.

Sitting pretty

India, meanwhile, is sitting pretty on a six-match winning streak. A 3-0 sweep in this series, which will guarantee a spot in the World Test Championship final, serves as timely motivation.

If India can manage to secure early passage to the summit clash, it will considerably reduce the pressure when the side tours to Australia later this year for five Tests.

The rain and damp pitch could prompt India to feature three pacers in Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep. The trio is more than capable of turning it on in the absence of an injured Mohammed Shami.

Focus on Ashwin, Jadeja

Spinners R. Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, who took 11 and nine wickets respectively in the Bangladesh series, will once again prove to be a handful.

On the batting front, Virat Kohli will welcome the chance to feature in his second home. Kohli will hold fond memories of scoring 103 and 51 n.o. against the same opposition at this venue in 2012, to hand India a hard-fought win.

Yashasvi Jaiswal, who found form in the Bangladesh games, is capable of deflating the opposition in a single session. The young opener received high praise from his captain Rohit Sharma. “The guy has got real talent. He has got the game to play in all conditions. From what he has shown us in this brief period of time, you can bet on him and expect him to do wonders for the team. We have found a great player,” Rohit said.

By all accounts, India’s proud home record – the last series defeat came at the hands of England in 2012 – is set to continue.

Teams

India: Rohit Sharma (c), Jasprit Bumrah (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Sarfaraz Khan, Rishabh Pant (wk), Dhruv Jurel (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep.

New Zealand: Tom Latham (captain), Devon Conway, Kane Williamson, Mark Chapman, Will Young, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner, Rachin Ravindra, Tom Blundell (wk), Ajaz Patel, Matt Henry, Tim Southee, William O’Rourke, Jacob Duffy.

Match starts at 9.30 AM IST.