India 34 for 6 (Pant 15*, O’Rourke 3-13, Henry 2-12) vs New Zealand

The wait was worth it. In their seventh day of Test cricket in India this year, New Zealand finally took the field on the second day in Bengaluru and lost a good toss. After being denied the desire to bat first under overcast skies and on a pitch that had been overcast all week, New Zealand’s seam bowlers were all over India with deadly accurate bowling, reducing India to a stop-start first session on 34 to 6.

From the first overs it was clear that the ball was moving more than either side expected. New Zealand started with just two slips but tightened the cordon. India now reacted instinctively and not through mental preparation in advance. Her instinct was to counterattack. Jaiswal played the first loose drive until the 12th ball, which he faced after Tim Southee challenged him. Rohit Sharma survived an extremely close lbw shout from Henry on the umpire’s orders, but soon tried to tackle Southee and throw him over his head again. The ball with the wobbly seam slipped back and caught the upper part of the leg.

With Shubman Gill missing due to a stiff neck, Virat Kohli moved up to No. 3 for the first time since 2016. While it was brave of Kohli to step up, the batsman perhaps best suited to the difficult conditions is current No. 6 KL Rahul, the only Asian opener with centuries in Australia, England and South Africa.

Another surprise in the batting order followed as Sarfaraz Khan ended up at number 4, a place he doesn’t even occupy in domestic cricket. It took him just three balls to attempt an upward air blast, which he fired at mid-ball for a sensational catch from Devon Conway, diving to his right and intercepting it well behind his body. A fair reward for Henry, who recorded an average seam movement of 1.3 degrees in the first session.

Rain provided a quick stop at 13 for 3 in 12.4 overs without a single boundary. At that point, India only had control of 62% of the shipments. The bowling was merciless: about half of it was of good length, with only a few going further without becoming half-volleys.

In theory, the break should have been good news for the bowling team as their bowlers could be prepared for further action, but here some of the incredible luck they had enjoyed ran out of them. The first ball after the break was a half-volley that gave India their first boundary. Soon Tom Blundell dropped a sitter from Rishabh Pant and then the batters either bowled or missed or the edges flew past the fielder. The bowling has also lost some of its relentlessness.

Finally, the fourth wicket came not through Test deliveries but through a medium-cut shot from Jaiswal, who scored 13 off 63, of which he was only in control of 42. Luck had turned: Rahul scored a shot down the leg side six minutes before lunch for a duck, and Ravindra Jadeja followed with a flamboyant strike that took the lead to the last ball of the session.

However, Pant remained unbeaten with 15 off 41 despite 18 misses.