Bengaluru: Indian cricket suffered huge embarrassment as the home side slumped to 46 all out on Day 2 of the opening Test against New Zealand at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
Rohit Sharma’s decision to bat first in overcast conditions backfired as Kiwi pacers wreaked havoc on a conducive pitch for fast bowling.
The 46-run total in their first innings is India’s lowest in a home Test and third-lowest overall.
India’s previous lowest score at home was 75, registered against the West Indies in New Delhi in 1987. This is the lowest Test total by any team in Asia and also the lowest by any team against New Zealand.
Kiwi pacers blow away Indian batting in stunning fashion
Indian batting line-up struggled to negotiate the conditions and were skittled out in just 31.1 overs. As many as five Indian batters were dismissed for a duck in what was a horrendous display. While Rishabh Pant top-scored with 20 off 49 balls, Yashasvi Jaiswal (13) was the only other batter to reach double digits.
For New Zealand, Matt Henry (5/15) and William O’Rourke (4/22) were the wreckers-in-chief while Tim Southee (1/8) set the tone with the wicket of skipper Rohit.
India lost six wickets for just 34 runs in the first session – the lowest total at the fall of the 6th wicket for India at home since 1969 since the 27-run total against New Zealand in Hyderabad.
In addition, India also lost four of the top seven batters for a duck in a home Test match since the Asian side started playing on home soil in 1948.
In the second session, India mustered only 12 runs for the loss of four wickets as Kiwi pacers continued to hit the right areas and exploit the conditions.
Lowest totals by India in Tests
Score | Opposition | Venue | Year |
36 | Australia | Adelaide | 2020 |
42 | England | Lord’s | 1974 |
46 | New Zealand | Bengaluru | 2024 |
58 | Australia | Brisbane | 1947 |
58 | England | Manchester | 1952 |
66 | South Africa | Durban | 1996 |
67 | Australia | Melbourne | 1948 |
75 | West Indies | Delhi | 1987 |
76 | South Africa | Ahmedabad | 2008 |
78 | England | Leeds | 2021 |