India sink in Wellington
Wellington, February 24
New Zealand completed a comprehensive 10-wicket victory over India before lunch on the fourth day of the first Test at the Basin Reserve to give them a 1-0 lead in the two-match series. Tom Latham finished seven not out while Tom Blundell was on two as they knocked off the nine runs needed for victory in just 10 balls after the visitors were dismissed for 191 in their second innings.
Can’t help if people make big deal out of one loss: Kohli
India captain Virat Kohli had no qualms in admitting that his team was outplayed by New Zealand in the opening Test but said they “can’t help” if a few want to make a “big deal” out of the 10-wicket defeat. This was India’s first defeat in the World Test Championships, coming after two inept batting efforts. “We know we haven’t played well but if people want to make a big deal out of it, make a mountain out of it, we can’t help it as we don’t think like that,” the skipper said. Kohli said he fails to comprehend why one Test match defeat should be made to look like the end of the world for his team. “For some people, it might be the end of the world but it’s not. For us, it’s a game of cricket that we lost and we move on and keep our heads high,” Kohli said. PTI
It was New Zealand’s 100th Test victory. India lost their last six wickets for 47 runs as Trent Boult and Tim Southee combined to rip through the lower middle-order and then finish off the tail. Southee completed his 10th five-wicket haul in Tests with 5/61.
“It was a great win and to beat a quality Indian side is very pleasing,” said Southee, who was named Man of the Match for figures of 9/110. “The effort from everyone was outstanding … and to take 20 wickets as a bowling unit was very pleasant,” he added.
The visitors, who had not lost any of their seven previous World Test Championship matches, had started the day on 144/4, still 39 runs behind and staring at a potential first defeat. The majority of their chances of setting a target they might be able to defend had rested with the last recognised batsmen vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane (25) and Hanuma Vihari (15) seeing out the first session unscathed. Boult, however, put New Zealand firmly in control in his second over when he enticed an edge from Rahane when he was on 29 and wicketkeeper BJ Watling completed an easy catch.
Vihari, who had not added to his overnight score, was bowled by Southee in the next over. Southee then had Ravichandran Ashwin trapped in front for four to reduce India to 162/7.
Ishant Sharma survived two chances when he was on six with Latham dropping him at forward short leg off Boult, while Southee grassed an easy catch at short cover off Colin de Grandhomme’s bowling nine balls later. While Sharma took India past New Zealand’s first innings with a four off Kyle Jamieson, he was trapped in front by de Grandhomme for 12 in the next over and then Southee had Rishabh Pant caught by Boult at fine leg for 25.
Southee wrapped up the innings on the sixth delivery with the second new ball when Jasprit Bumrah was caught in the slips for a duck. The second match of the two-Test series starts at Hagey Oval in Christchurch on February 29. — Reuters
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