NEW DELHI: For powerhouse India, it was a rare Test defeat at home as New Zealand stunned Rohit Sharma and Co. in a rain-marred first Test in Bengaluru on Sunday to go 1-0 up in the three-match series.
The win was historic for the Kiwis as it was their first on Indian soil in 36 years.
After shooting out India for their lowest team total at home — 46 all out — the Kiwis piled up 402 in their first essay, taking a massive 356 run lead.However, the hosts came up with a stunning second innings response, overhauling the entire deficit, before once again faltering in the last session on the fourth day.
The Kiwis then hunted down a below-par 107 in the morning session on the final day.
The win for New Zealand was their first in India since 1988 as the match saw quite a few other records being rewritten.
Here’s a key look at the numbers from the thrilling first Test at the Chinnaswamy:
* Kiwis’ only 3rd Test win in India – The win in Bengaluru was New Zealand’s only third on Indian soil in 37 matches. Sunday’s win for the Kiwis came after 36 years. Before this, the John Wright-led team beat India by 136 runs at Wankhede in Mumbai in 1988. New Zealand’s first-ever Test win in India was in 1969 when Graham Dowling captained the side and won by 167 runs in Nagpur.
* Twin losses in a year – This is now the second time the Indian team has lost two home Tests in the same year in the last 20 years. In January, India lost to England in Hyderabad. The previous instance of India losing 2 Tests in the same year was in 2012, when they lost to England in the same series. And before 2012, India lost to two different teams Pakistan (Bengaluru) and West Indies (Delhi) in the same year at home in 1987.
* Team chasing 100-plus target in India – In the last 24 years, New Zealand is now the first team to successfully hunt down a more than 100-run target in India. South Africa last achieved it, chasing 164 Wankhede back in 2000.
* Pant joins infamous ’99’ club – Swashbuckling Rishabh Pant cracked a sizzling knock in the second innings but missed out on ton a by just 1 run. With his unfortunate dismissal on 99, Pant (7) climbed third on the list of India batters to be dismissed most times in the 90s in Tests. Alongside that, Pant also became only the fourth keeper-batter in world cricket to be dismissed on 99.
Brendon McCullum (New Zealand) vs Sri Lanka, Napier, 2005
MS Dhoni (India) vs England, Nagpur, 2012
Jonny Bairstow (England) vs South Africa, Old Trafford, 2017
Rishabh Pant (India) vs New Zealand, Bengaluru, 2024
* India’s nadir at home – The 46 all out in the first innings is now India’s lowest team total at home. After being shot down on Day 2, the team fell short of their previous lowest home total of 62 against the same team which came in the 2021 Test Mumbai Test. The 46 all out is now India’s overall third lowest score in the traditional format.
* Most sixes in a calendar year – The Indian team became the first team ever to breach the 100 sixes mark by a team in a calendar year. England previously held the record for 89 sixes in a year which they hit in 2022.
* Kohli climbs Mount 9,000 – On his way to an aggressive 70 in the second innings, star batter Virat Kohli became the fourth Indian to breach the 9000-run mark in Tests. Kohli now has 9,017 runs and is behind Sachin Tendulkar (15921), Rahul Dravid (13265) and Sunil Gavaskar (10122) on the list of most run-getters for India in the longest format. However, Kohli (197 innings) is the slowest amongst the four to reach the 9000-run milestone.
* Most runs in a day – The third day of the Bengaluru Test saw both teams scoring 453 runs combined. This is now the second most number of runs scored in a single day of a Test in India. Previously, Day 2 of the India vs Sri Lanka game saw 470 runs being scored.
* A 0 and a ton in a Test – Sarfaraz Khan scoring a duck and a hundred was the 22nd instance when an India batter registered a 0 and a ton in the same Test. In the match, Sarfaraz registered his maiden Test century, finishing on 150.
* Biggest leads taken in India – The 356-run lead that the Kiwis took in the first innings is now the 5th biggest ever by a visiting team in India.
490 – West Indies, Kolkata, 1958
418 – South Africa, Ahmedabad, 2008
380 – England, Chennai, 1985
356 – West Indies, Brabourne, 1948
356 – New Zealand, Bengaluru, 2024*
* The Soutee-Rachin stand – The incredible 137-run partnership shared between Rachin Ravindra and Tim Southee in the first innings is now the second highest for the 8th wkt (or lower) on the Indian soil. West Indies’ Clive Lloyd and Andy Roberts had previously added 161 runs together during the Kolkata Test in 1983.
* Most ducks in an innings- India’s first innings collapse saw as many as 5 batters being dismissed for naught. It meant that the team levelled their record for second most number of ducks in an innings. There have been two occasions in the past when 6 India batters have scored ducks in an innings. There are now 4 instances when 5 batters have walked back without troubling the scorers in an innings.
