NZ v IND: Southee Boult pierce through India for a 10 wicket win

The first Test between New Zealand and India has come to end and thee Black Caps have thumped the Virat Kohli-led Indian team by 10 wickets to take a 1-0 lead in the two-match Test series.

The day started with Ajinkya Rahane and Hanuma Vihari starting the proceedings on Day Four of the Test match. But it was New Zealand that got the early momentum. Left-arm pacer Trent Boult picked up the wicket of Rahane and made the conditions even worse for the already tumbling Indian side.

The Kiwi bowlers did not the Indian batsmen stay on the crease and kept on taking wickets at regular intervals. Next to go was Hanuma Vihari. Tim Southee took the prized scalp of the right-handed batsman and got his second wicket of the innings.

Wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant and Ravichandran Ashwin tried to show some resistance against the fiery Kiwi bowling line-up but they were too hot to handle. Ashwin was given leg-before wicket in the 73^rd over of the Indian innings and people started praying to save India from an innings defeat.

Pant played some aggressive shots to take India closer to the needed score and with the help of Ishant Sharma at the other end, they took a lead of 6 runs. It is when Colin de Grandhomme took Ishant’s wicket and the dark clouds started hovering on India’s fate. India lost the last two wickets in just 2 runs and Southee picked up a five-wicket haul.

This was the third instance where India was bundled out for a score of less than 200 in each of the innings against New Zealand.

The Kiwis just need 9 runs to win the first Test and they achieved in just 10 balls. With this win, they have joined the elite list of countries who have won 100 or more Test matches. It was also the third instance when the Black Caps have defeated the Indian team by 10 wickets.

Southee was awarded Player of the Match for taking 9 wickets in the Test. He noted that it was really “pleasing” to beat a quality side like India in such a manner. Meanwhile, Indian skipper Virat Kohli admitted that they were not competitive enough in the game.

On the other hand, Kane Williamson believes that the win is a result of the combined efforts of the team and heaped praise on the pace trio of Trent Boult, Tim Southee, and debutant Kyle Jamieson.

The second Test will commence from February 29 in Christchurch.

SCORE:

New Zealand 348, 9/0 (Tom Latham 7*, Tom Blundell 2*) beat India 165, 191 (Mayank Agarwal 58, Ajinkya Rahane 29; Tim Southee 5/61, Trent Boult 4/39) by 10 wickets.