New Zealand fast bowlers, led by the ruthless Will O’Rourke (3/13), took full advantage of the overcast conditions to dismantle a struggling Indian batting line-up, putting them at a dismal 34 for six. of the opening test on Thursday. Rishabh Pant (15 off 41 balls) continued to bat after Ravindra Jadeja (0) was dismissed just before half-time. The first day of play was a failure due to rain.

Will O’Rourke, Henry and Southee left India with an embarrassing first of 55 years. 34 was the lowest for India at the fall of the 6th wicket at home since 1969. The previous lowest was 27 runs against New Zealand in Hyderabad.

As the rain cleared, Indian captain Rohit Sharma opted to bat under the thick, gray skies but his team struggled. Rohit himself was the first to go, falling for just 2 after 15 balls as he aimed for an aggressive drive, only for Tim Southee’s sharply turning delivery to uproot his stumps.

India’s batsmen are failing

Before highlighting the Indian batsmen’s problems, it is important to note Matt Henry’s impressive opening spell, which caused significant problems for the Indian line-up. Opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, who tried to counter the swing by positioning himself out of the crease, suffered numerous near misses against Henry. Despite some moments of uncertainty, the left-handed Jaiswal showed some courage to stick to the crease.

Virat Kohli, batting at an unusual number 3, was quickly dismissed after nine balls. New Zealand captain Tom Latham introduced Will O’Rourke, who wasted no time in capturing Kohli, whose attempted jab on a rising delivery deflected off his gloves to Glenn Phillips at the leg gutter.

Sarfaraz Khan, who replaced the injured Shubman Gill, was aggressive from the start but paid the price. On just his third ball he tried to hit Henry at mid-on but was spectacularly caught by Devon Conway, drawing laughter from Henry.

With a score of 10 to three, India’s position was precarious and in need of a significant boost. A brief rain delay from 10:27 am to 11:05 am seemed to help India regain some composure. Pant, who was dropped on 7 by wicketkeeper Tom Blundell off O’Rourke, finally secured India’s first boundary of the day with a well-executed cover drive in the fifth ball of the 12th over.

However, Jaiswal’s cautious innings ended without reward when he fell to O’Rourke, with Ajaz Patel completing a brilliant catch at point after a powerful cut shot. Dismissal by KL Rahul (0), caught down the leg side by O’Rourke’s Blundell, and Jadeja pushed India further into a corner, forcing Pant to attempt a save in the second session.