India captain Rohit Sharma cut a solemn figure after New Zealand defeated them by 8 wickets in the first Test in Bengaluru. India was already playing catch-up after being shot out for 46 runs in the 1st innings after choosing to bat first under overcast conditions.
Matt Henry got five wickets for the Kiwis, while Will O'Rourke took four.
New Zealand responded with 402 runs, with Rachin Ravindra scoring 134, Devon Conway scoring 91, and Tim Southee getting 65. For India, Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja both took three wickets.
India needed to perform well in the second innings, and the batters delivered. Rohit Sharma (52), Yashasvi Jaiswal (35), Virat Kohli (70), Rishabh Pant (99), and Sarfaraz Khan (150) shone with the bat. It appeared that India would be able to score a strong total and set a reasonable target for New Zealand to chase.
However, New Zealand pacers wreaked havoc with the new ball, as India was bowled out for 462 runs. Matt Henry and Will O’Rourke took three wickets each.
Set 107 to win, New Zealand lost two early wickets: Tom Latham (0) and Devon Conway (17). However, Will Young (48*) and Rachin Ravindra (39*) prevented more damage, as New Zealand won the first Test by eight wickets. This meant that New Zealand went 1-0 up in all three-Test series.
After the match, Rohit Sharma spoke about the performance of the Indian team in the post-match presentation.
“It was a good effort with the bat in the second innings. We didn't bat well in the first innings. So knew what was ahead and a 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. A couple of partnerships were really exciting to watch and got us back in the game. We could have easily been bowled out cheaply but proud of the effort,” Rohit told broadcasters.
The Indian captain was all praises for young Sarfaraz Khan, who made 150, and Rishabh Pant, who scored 99. Their partnership took India in the lead against New Zealand in the second innings.
“Everyone is on the edge of their seat when those two (Sarfaraz and Pant) are playing. They like the play the game which has got them success. Rishabh, with the way he bats, takes a lot of risks but I thought it was a mature innings in the game. Defended good balls left a few balls and then backed himself to play those shots as well. Sarfaraz showed great maturity as well. He is only playing his 4th Test match and to show that kind of maturity and very clear in his mind what shots he wanted to play,” Rohit added.
Rohit Sharma then talked about taking the positives from the Bengaluru Test and moving forward as they prepped for the second Test in Pune.
“I said in my press conference after Day 2 that we knew it would be sticky early on and challenged with the overcast conditions but we didn't expect to be out under 50. New Zealand bowled pretty well and challenged every corner of our bat and we failed to respond to that. Games like these happen. We will take the positives and move forward. There are guys who have been in this situation before. We lost a game against England and won four games after that. Two Test matches to go and we know exactly what is needed from each one of us. We will try and put our best game forward,” Rohit signed off.
