After a complete washout on the inaugural day, the first Test swung dramatically in New Zealand’s favour on Day 2, with the Kiwis commanding a significant lead of 134 runs. India stumbled dramatically, recording their lowest Test match tally on home ground with meagre 46 runs. The devastating partnership of Kiwi seamers, Matt Henry and William O’Rourke, was key, splitting nine wickets between them. Henry ended with extraordinary figures of 5 for 15, while O’Rourke claimed four scalps for 22 runs. This abysmal Indian performance follows them barely scraping past their 36-run total in Australia in 2020 and a 42-run effort in England half a century prior.
On New Zealand’s part, Devon Conway bolstered their position with an aggressive 91 off 105 balls, including three sixes and 11 fours. His innings propelled the Black Caps to 180 for 3. The day, however, belonged primarily to the drama of the Indian batting collapse.
Skipper Rohit Sharma was the first to depart, falling victim to Tim Southee’s skilful off-pitch movement. O’Rourke then bagged the coveted wicket of Virat Kohli, dismissed for a nine-ball duck. When Sarfaraz Khan offered a soft catch to mid-off, it marked the beginning of Henry’s success story. Although Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, the sole batsmen to reach double digits, tried to rescue the situation by adding 21 runs, India’s wickets continued to tumble from 31 for 3 to 34 for 7. Subsequent ducks from KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, and Ravichandran Ashwin compounded India’s plight, with Jaiswal making only 13.
In a spectacular turn of events, Pant managed a top contribution of 20 runs before Henry, celebrating his 100th Test wicket, along with O’Rourke, brilliantly took out the remaining Indian players. This resulted in India being completely bowled out in 31.2 overs. When it came to New Zealand’s opening batters, they managed to surpass India’s meagre score by the 13th over thanks to Conway’s bold approach against the spinners. However, Conway was almost stumped at 89, yet Pant failed to seize the opportunity, seemingly in discomfort as the ball struck his knee. Consequently, Dhruv Jurel relieved Pant of his duties behind the stumps. Conway’s miss wasn’t too costly in the end, falling nine runs short of a century as he was bowled out by Ashwin whilst attempting a reverse sweep. Despite this, New Zealand confidently maintained their superior position.