New Zealand’s pace bowlers ran amok in overcast conditions as India were bowled out for a paltry 46-their third-lowest Test total and lowest on home soil-on the second day of the rain-hit opening Test on Thursday.
In conditions more Christchurch than Karnataka, Matt Henry bagged 5-15 while fellow speedster William O’Rourke sparkled on his first game in India with 4-22 to skittle the hosts shortly after lunch.
The 46 runs were thus the fewest in an innings by any team playing in India, well short of the 62 the Black Caps managed against the hosts at Mumbai three years ago.
The previous worst total at home was the 75 they made against West Indies in New Delhi in 1987.
Rohit Sharma had raised eyebrows by opting to bat first in a seamer-friendly environment under lights at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, and was fortunate to survive a loud appeal for lbw from Henry in the morning as play finally got underway after a washed out opening day.
The skipper also didn’t stay for too long at the crease as Tim Southee castled him with a delivery that nipped back in to send him back. The Black Caps then dealt two further heavy blows as they sent back Virat Kohli and Sarfaraz Khan for ducks, in successive overs.
Kohli, in at number three after Shubman Gill was ruled out with injury, was caught at leg gully by a diving Glenn Phillips after O’Rourke got one to move back in towards the veteran batsman’s ribcage.
Sarfaraz Khan seemed the third victim as Henry induced a brilliant catch at mid-off from Devon Conway to have the hosts reeling 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 when the left-hander was on seven.
Opener Yashasvi Jaiswal wasn’t so lucky 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 removed Pant for 20 before picking up his fifth victim of the innings and 100th of his Test career as Kuldeep Yadav was caught at gully. O’Rourke earlier accounted for Jasprit Bumrah, with Henry taking a brilliant catch in the deep.