That India wasn’t a batter-obsessed nation anymore was clear as the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium here roared in belief when Jasprit Bumrah began the host’s final attempt at salvaging pride by beating New Zealand skipper Tom Latham outside off-stump with an away-swinger off the first ball of the last day.
The next one swung into the left-hander, catching him plumb in front, and the Indians sniffed an opportunity even as the skies brightened, and a flock of kites swirled overhead.
With three slips and a gully on the prowl, Bumrah got the ball to move away just enough to beat Will Young’s outside edge and keep the crowd interested.
Though he was not as threatening, Mohammed Siraj kept up the pressure from the other end by putting a lid on the runs as the Kiwis crawled to nine runs in seven overs with their skipper back in the dugout.
Bumrah ruffled up Devon Conway with some extra bounce, as a couple of deliveries reared up nastily to cop the left-hander’s glove. He then came around the wicket to angle the ball into the southpaw, and Virat Kohli added to the Kiwi’s nerves by geeing up the crowd from the slip cordon.
But reality kicked in soon and the theatrics fizzled out as Siraj was forced to pitch the ball up to keep the batters in jeopardy. Young responded with a flick to the fence behind square – the first boundary of the innings coming in the eighth over.
Though Bumrah instilled hope by getting the ball to straighten and ended Conway’s tormented stay in the middle, Young and Rachin Ravindra ensured there were no further twists.
India’s Jasprit Bumrah appeals during the first test match between India and New Zealand at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. | Photo Credit: K MURALI KUMAR/The Hindu
After a few tentative prods outside off, Young picked Siraj’s length early and pulled with authority to the wide long-on boundary. When Ravindra Jadeja was brought on, he drove off the backfoot and swept for a couple of fours to stave off any possibility of India clawing back.
Ravindra picked up from where he left off in the first innings, delicately guiding the ball with soft hands behind point and then flicking through midwicket with solid wrists in a single over off Bumrah.
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Kuldeep Yadav and R. Ashwin backed up the enthusiasm that pervaded the venue in the morning with some sharp saves on the field but couldn’t have an impact with the ball.
Kuldeep was smashed for the lone six of the innings when Young stepped out and deposited him over midwicket, while Ashwin rolled his arm over when the match had already slipped out of India’s grasp.
Young completed the formalities with a cut to the third-man boundary and ushered in New Zealand’s first Test win on Indian soil in 36 years.
The romanticism of an era-defining come-from-behind win, inspired by Sarfaraz Khan and Rishabh Pant’s counter-attacking brilliance on Saturday, soon dissipated.
Eventually, overcoming a bungled decision at the toss by Rohit Sharma to bat first and play three spinners in overcast conditions was a bridge too far for India’s pace duo.
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