New Zealand beat India by 8 wickets, and won the first five-day ‘Test Match’ of a ‘Three- Match’ Series held in Bengaluru. The massive win has ended their 36-year long wait of bagging a ‘Test victory’ on the Indian grounds.
This is New Zealand’s third Test win in India, with the first two coming in Nagpur (1969) and Mumbai (1988).
Chasing a mere 107 target on the final day, the Kiwis lost both openers to Jasprit Bumrah. However, Will Young and Rachin Ravindra ensured the win through their smashes and thrashes.
India suffered this third defeat of the current World Test Championship (WTC) cycle. It has currently lost to New Zealand by eight wickets in the first Test held at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
It proved a testing & taxing ‘Test’ for India. In the first innings, India was shot down for 46 in the first innings before conceding a 356-run lead. India fought back hard and posted 462 in the second innings, setting New Zealand a target of 107.
While forcing the match into the fourth innings was an achievement itself, India would be slightly disappointed as they had New Zealand reeling when Sarfaraz Khan and Rishabh Pant were batting. Sarfaraz Khan’s maiden hundred and Rishabh Pant’s fiery 99 could not prevent New Zealand from a win. It was being presumed that India would set a 300+ run target for New Zealand. However, the batting collapsed as India fell down from titanic 408-3 score to 462 all out by losing seven more wickets.
Prior to this, New Zealand skipper Tom Latham (0) and Devon Conway (0) were at the crease when bad light and later rain forced stumps on the fourth evening.
The last time New Zealand won a Test in India was way back in 1989 when Sir Richard Hadlee was still an active Test cricketer and got 10 wickets at the Wankhede to ensure a huge 136-run victory. Now, Matt Henry’s eight match wickets inspired that similar win.
As such, India suffered an eight-wicket defeat to New Zealand in the first test against New Zealand in Bengaluru. This defeat has endangered India’s chances of qualifying for the World Test Championship final. As per a reliable analytical source, this defeat means that India’s PCT has dipped to 68.05, but they retained the top spot in the WTC table.
WTC 2023-2025 Table
| Pos. | Team | Mat. | Won | Lost | Drawn | Points | PCT |
| 1 | India | 11 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 98 | 68.05 |
| 2 | Australia | 12 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 90 | 62.50 |
| 3 | Sri Lanka | 9 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 60 | 55.56 |
| 4 | England | 17 | 9 | 7 | 1 | 93 | 45.59 |
| 5 | South Africa | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 28 | 38.89 |
| 6 | New Zealand | 8 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 36 | 37.50 |
| 7 | Bangladesh | 8 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 33 | 34.38 |
| 8 | West Indies | 9 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 20 | 18.52 |
| 9 | Pakistan | 8 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 16 | 16.67 |
New Zealand has once again put India in a spot of bother in terms of WTC final qualification. Before the Test, India needed at least four wins and two draws to secure a place in the WTC final. A 3-0 win over New Zealand would have taken a lot of pressure off the Indian team on the Australian tour, with the team needing just a win and two draws, however, the defeat to New Zealand means that India can’t afford to lose more than one Test in Australia. They will have to win two Tests, (assuming they win both the remaining Tests against New Zealand) and secure two draws. This will be a mammoth task for India given the quality of the Australian team. India now needs to ensure they keep their PCT above 56 to stay in contention for the WTC final.
South Africa and Australia are also in contention for the WTC final and their results would also matter in deciding the WTC finalists. Assuming South Africa lose to Sri Lanka and Pakistan at home, and also to Bangladesh, India’s chances of reaching the final will increase significantly. There are tons of possibilities, but India would want to win those four Tests and secure a place in the final without depending on other results.
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Commencing teaching in his early twenties, Prof Aggarwal has diverse experience of great tenure in the top institutions not only as an educationist, administrator, editor, author but also promoting youth and its achievements through the nicest possible content framing. A revolutionary to the core, he is also keen to address the society around him for its betterment and growth on positive notes while imbibing the true team spirit the work force along with.
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