New Delhi: New Zealand need 107 runs to win the first Test match against India on Day 5 at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. Sarfaraz Khan and Rishabh Pant batted brilliantly on Day 4 and stitched a 177-run partnership for the fourth wicket.
Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal provided a good start to India in the second innings and built a 72-run partnership for the first wicket. Ajaz Patel dismissed both the Indian openers but Virat Kohli looked determined and stitched a crucial 136-run partnership for the third wicket with Sarfaraz.
Kohli was batting well but lost his wicket on the last ball of the day to Glenn Phillips. Rishabh Pant came out to bat on Day 4 with Sarfaraz to rescue Team India from the first-innings blunder. Both batters were a little watchful at the start but attacked the New Zealand bowlers once both got set.
The ball was not doing much from the surface and both batters took full advantage of the conditions. Sarfaraz notched up his maiden Test hundred and Rishabh Pant also scored his fifty. At one point, it looked like Indian batters will dominate the day 4 but New Zealand bowlers made a sensational comeback with the second new ball.
Southee removed Sarfaraz Khan on 150 runs and ORourke dismissed Rishabh Pant on 99 runs. After that, conditions got overcast and Team India bundled out for 462 runs. New Zealand need 107 runs to win on Day 5 but heavy rain is predicted till 3 PM IST in Bengaluru.
‘I believe the game is not lost yet’: Sarfaraz Khan
Sarfaraz Khan in a post-day press conference said that it was not an easy pitch to bat on and the ball is moving nicely. He further said that the game is not lost yet and if our bowlers can take a couple of quick wickets, we can trigger a collapse.
“First of all, this is not an easy wicket, and I believe the game is not lost yet. The ball is moving nicely, so if we can secure a couple of quick wickets, we could trigger a collapse” Sarfaraz said in a post-day press conference.
