India vs New Zealand 2024/25, IND vs NZ 1st Test Match Report, October 16 – 20, 2024

Innings New Zealand 402 (Ravindra 134, Conway 91, Southee 65, Jadeja 3-72) leads India 46 by 356 runs

Frustration continued for India an hour after lunch as New Zealand added 57 to the 299 they had already scored at the break. This deficit is very clear in whatever India was able to overcome to win the Test.

Lunch – India show early promise, before NZ come back

However, Southee, with 89 Test sixes to his name and a penchant for swing, batted calmly to keep Ravindra company. Ravindra kept trusting his partner even though the previous two batsmen missed straight balls at middle stump. There was a time in the partnership when Southee faced 16 off 19 balls. However, Southee managed to survive, refusing to throw his bat at it.

Ravindra continued to grow in confidence, never getting caught in the crease, playing right-back or meeting the ball on the half-volley. From the start of the 70th over to the end of the 80th, he improved from 48 from 87 to 104 from 125. He continued the day with 22 for 34, taking a boundary off Siraj’s full ball in the first ball, then respected the bowling as Daryl Mitchell and Tom Blundell provided an outside edge each for two quicks.

Phillips swung like there was no future, got a six, but gave way to a straight full ball from Jadeja. Henry managed two fours before losing his middle stump to Jadeja. Southee got off to a rough start, but managed to survive.

In the 70th over, Ravindra skipped to Kuldeep Yadav to lift him over his head to reach his fifty. At that time he felt good about it and started pushing his goal. The second and fourth in the over went well past the 200 mark. Then Kuldeep skips Southee for another four. He was 4 for 18 at the time.

Attacked from the moment he started bowling on day two, R Ashwin bowled a full toss in his first over of the day, which Ravindra hit over midwicket for a six. The floodgates were well and truly open. Ravindra was playing the length of the bowlers when Southee waited 39 balls to attempt his first six, driving Ashwin, whose figures at lunchtime read 16-1-94-1.

The session, however, belonged to Ravindra, who took his time before taking the game to the spinners.