Bright and sunny for New Zealand, cloudy and overcast for India—it was a tale of two atmospheres, both meteorologically and metaphorically. On a forgettable day for Indian cricket, the skies seemed to mirror the fortunes of the teams. Rarely does one witness a visiting team reducing India to such a precarious position, as New Zealand did during the initial two sessions. In an unexpected turn of events, India was bowled out for their lowest-ever Test total at home—a paltry 46. Such conditions are almost unheard of in India, making New Zealand’s achievement all the more remarkable.
The unexpected overcast conditions in Bengaluru, following two days of heavy covering of the pitch, handed New Zealand a golden opportunity to exploit the environment. The conditions ideally called for a team loaded with pace and aggression; however, India, perhaps anticipating typical subcontinental conditions, opted for a three-spinner attack, a move that spectacularly backfired. New Zealand, on the other hand, opted for a trio of pacemen, putting themselves in an advantageous position right from the start.
India’s attempts to counter the seam movement with their batting strategies met with little success. Standout batsmen like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli walked down the pitch in a bid to negate the swing, Yashasvi Jaiswal tried to play the balls on merit, and Rishabh Pant oscillated between defensive and his typical flamboyant modes—none of which bore fruit. Tim Southee unleashed a deadly in-swinger, Will O’Rourke extracted unexpected bounce, while Matt Henry meticulously targeted the off-stump line to devastating effect. India found themselves reeling at 10/3, and hopes of recovery—much akin to their recent turnaround against Bangladesh in Chennai—quickly faded away.
However, Bengaluru was neither Chennai nor Kanpur, venues where India had clawed their way back from seemingly insurmountable odds. The situation spiraled out of control, akin to their disastrous show against Australia in Adelaide, marked by the infamous 36/9 collapse. On this occasion, for each dismissal or troubled bat, it became increasingly evident that a critical decision at the toss had been fatally flawed. Questions loomed large—why did India opt for three spinners on a pitch that was veiled for days, and why did they choose to bat first under such conditions?
The toss was marked by a fleeting appearance of the sun after much gloominess, but it rapidly gave way to dense clouds, necessitating the utilization of floodlights once the play started. With a pitch tinged with spice and spongy bounce, India inadvertently played into New Zealand’s hands by executing shots they’d later regret.
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Reflecting on the day’s play, Rohit Sharma candidly acknowledged the misjudgment in reading the pitch. “We anticipated less grass and expected a flatter playing surface based on Kuldeep [Yadav]’s performance on such pitches previously. Clearly, I misread the conditions, and it cost us dearly,” Rohit lamented post-play, expressing palpable hurt over the miscalculation.
In stark contrast, New Zealand’s fielding was flawless. India, in their bowling innings, conceded easy runs, missing chances such as edges flying past distracted fielders, stumped opportunities, and botched runouts. A freakish blow to Rishabh Pant’s knee added to the woes. For New Zealand, the stars aligned—Tom Latham too admitted that they initially planned to bat first, but the unexpected pitch conditions turned fortune in their favor, especially benefiting Matt Henry, who capitalized with an impressive five-wicket haul.
Henry, re-entering the side amidst the frequent Bengaluru rains, was pleased with the conducive conditions that seemed reminiscent of playing back home. Despite a career spanning nine years, opportunities have been sparing for Henry, with most of his Tests played on home soil. “There are few and far between opportunities, and days like these make it worthwhile,” Henry remarked, reflecting on the career day that saw him produce relentless seam movement.
His efforts were aptly complemented by partner Will O’Rourke, whose contrasting taller and shorter style caused significant difficulties for the Indian batters. Their synergistic bowling partnership resulted in a combined haul of nine wickets within 15.2 overs.
“They compelled us to play nearly every second or third delivery; as a bowling unit, that’s exactly what you aim for under favorable conditions,” credited Rohit commendably.
While such challenging situations may not frequently arise in India’s fixtures, like the test in Kanpur which sought World Test Championship points over challenging conditions, Thursday’s proceedings in Bengaluru added yet another cloud hovering over India’s ambitions. Though it’s premature to deem it all doom and gloom, immediate introspection is imperative for India to pave their path forward.