Bengaluru: The Indian batting line-up collapsed like a pack of cards against an energetic New Zealand pace attack on Day 2 of the opening Test between the two sides at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. After Day 1 was washed out due to persistent rain, Rohit Sharma won the toss and surprisingly elected to bat first in gloomy conditions. Rohit’s decision to bat on a pitch covered for the last two days came back to haunt the Indians as Kiwi pacers took advantage of the conditions and demolished the top order.
The skipper was the first one to be dismissed for 2 followed by Virat Kohli, who was dismissed for a nine-ball duck. The Indian batting crumbled after the dismissals of their stalwarts Sarfaraz Khan, KL Rahul, and Ravindra Jadeja all went back to the pavillion without troubling the scorers and in the process set an unwanted record in home Tests.
For the first time since India began playing at home in 1948, four of the top seven batters got out for a duck in a home Test match.
It happened twice overseas but never at home.
Four of the top 7 Indian batters getting out for a duck in Test innings
vs ENG, Leeds, 1952 (3rd inns)
vs ENG, Manchester, 2014 (1st inns)
vs NZ, Bengaluru, 2024 (1st inns)*
India headed to lunch at 34 for 6 and made another unwanted record. The score of 34 runs was the lowest at the fall of the 6th wicket for India at home since 1969, beating the previous record of 27 runs against New Zealand in Hyderabad.
