Rachin Ravindra and Ajaz Patel batted for 52 deliveries to save New Zealand's last wicket on Day 5.
India cricket great Sachin Tendulkar praised the New Zealand young debutant Rachin Ravindra and tail-ender Ajaz Patel for snatching away victory from the jaws of Team India in the first Test. India were just one wicket away from a win on Day 5 in Kanpur when Rachin and Ajaz refused to give away their wickets.
Rachin and Ajaz survived 52 deliveries before the on-field umpires decided to call it a day due to bad light. It was a huge achievement for the visitors to draw a Test match in India, considering how dominating the Indians are at their home in this format.
Sachin took to Twitter to laud both the teams for a hard-fought Test match, before mentioning the effort from the Kiwis to save the Test. "Both #TeamIndia and #NewZealand had their backs against the wall at various stages of this game and both teams fought hard to come back into the game.
"To survive 52 balls on the last day of the Test was commendable. This is what makes Test match cricket fascinating," he tweeted on Tuesday (November 30).
The winner of the final Test in Mumbai will secure the two-match series. It isn't going to be easy for the Kiwis as India's full-time Test captain Virat Kohli will feature in the last Test match, starting from December 3.