India put in their worst ever batting display on home soil as they crashed to 46 all out in the first innings of the first Test against New Zealand in Bengaluru on Thursday.
Rohit Sharma decided to bat first in overcast conditions – after Day 1 was washed out due to rain – and it quickly turned to be a disastrous call as they got bundled out in 31.2 overs. New Zealand encountered far fewer problems with the bat and eased to 180-3 securing a lead of 134 by stumps.
New Zealand seam-bowlers produced extravagant movement throughout the opening session. Matt Henry bagged 5-15 while fellow speedster William O'Rourke sparkled in his first game in India with 4-22 to dismiss the hosts shortly after lunch.
It was India's lowest score in Test cricket at home and their third worst effort, after scoring 36 against Australia in Adelaide in 2020 and 42 against England at Lord's in 1974.
Captain Rohit decided to bat first in conditions tailormade for fast-bowling, and even went in with just two seamers in his eleven.
He did not last long as Tim Southee rattled his stumps with a delivery that nipped back in. The Black Caps then landed two more major blows by dismissing Virat Kohli and Sarfaraz Khan for ducks in successive overs.
Kohli, who came in at No 3 after Shubman Gill was ruled out with injury, was caught at leg gully by a diving Glenn Phillips as young pacer O'Rourke got one to move back in.
Sarfaraz fell to Henry thanks to a stunning catch by Devon Conway at mid-off, leaving the hosts teetering at 10-3.
New Zealand could have had a fourth wicket shortly after a brief rain interruption but for some sloppy wicketkeeping by Tom Blundell, who dropped a simple chance to hand Rishabh Pant a lifeline.
Opener Yashasvi Jaiswal was not as fortunate when a well-timed cut off O'Rourke went straight to Ajaz Patel, before the impressive paceman sent back KL Rahul for a duck.
Henry compounded India's woes by removing Ravindra Jadeja for another duck, the fourth of the innings before lunch, and then added Ravichandran Ashwin to that list in the first ball after the break.
He then dismissed Pant for 20 before claiming his fifth victim of the innings and 100th of his Test career by having Kuldeep Yadav caught at gully.
India were shell shocked and they found no respite with the ball. As New Zealand went to bat, the sun came out and eased out the wicket. India's two fast bowlers – Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammad Siraj – did not get anywhere near the help that the visitors did in the morning.
Openers Tom Latham and Devon Conway added 67 in just 17 overs as neither pace nor spin troubled the two. Left-arm spinner Yadav was the only bowler who posed questions consistently but he proved expensive as Conway motored along at almost run a ball.
Conway got a life on 89 when wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant missed a stumping and also hurt his knee in the process.
Rubbing salt into the wounds, Pant hobbled off the field and was replaced by Dhruv Jurel, handing the team management an unexpected headache for the remainder of the series and the subsequent Australia tour.
Conway eased to 91 of just 105 balls, helping the tourists extend their lead into three figures, taking the game decidedly away from India on the first day itself.
