For the first time in 14 years, India found itself in a precarious situation during the opening Test against New Zealand on Day 2 in Bengaluru. Under overcast skies, Rohit Sharma, the Indian captain, surprised many by choosing to bat after winning the toss. However, the New Zealand pace trio of Tim Southee, Matt Henry, and William O’Rourke took full advantage of the conditions, each claiming a wicket and leaving India reeling at 10/3.
This marked only the third occasion since 1990 that India had lost three wickets for 10 or fewer runs at home in a Test match, with New Zealand being responsible for all three instances. Previously, they had dismissed three Indian batters for just 7 runs in Mohali in 1999 and had another memorable outing in 2010, when India lost three wickets for only 2 runs.
Tim Southee set the early tone by bowling Rohit Sharma, who fell for just 2 runs. Following this setback, Virat Kohli and Yashasvi Jaiswal attempted to stabilize the innings, but the relentless pace attack continued to put them under pressure, resulting in a thrilling battle between bat and ball.
Kohli’s dismissal came next, as O’Rourke extracted extra bounce off the surface, surprising the Indian superstar and leading to a catch by Glenn Phillips. This marked Kohli’s first duck in 32 innings, his last occurring against the same team in Wankhede in 2021. With both Rohit and Kohli back in the pavilion without scoring, India’s situation worsened when promising batsman Sarfaraz Khan followed suit, dismissed for a three-ball duck after Devon Conway executed a spectacular catch.
After some carefully constructed runs between Rishabh Pant and Jaiswal forming a brief partnership of 21 runs, rain interrupted the play, allowing India to regroup. They received a momentary reprieve when Tom Blundell failed to hold onto a simple catch off Pant’s bat. However, Jaiswal couldn’t capitalize on the moment, as he attempted a powerful shot only to be caught brilliantly by Ajaz Patel.
KL Rahul then entered the fray, but O’Rourke quickly targeted him, leading to another wicket. Rahul, under pressure, edged the ball to Blundell, becoming the third Indian batter to register a duck. Ravindra Jadeja followed soon after, falling to a misjudged shot off Henry’s bowling, resulting in a six-ball duck. Jadeja’s dismissal ended the opening session, with India struggling at a mere 34/6 on the scoreboard as the umpires called for lunch.