India Crumbles to Unwanted Records in Bengaluru Test

In a shocking turn of events during the first Test between India and New Zealand at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, India registered one of their lowest-ever totals in Test history. The hosts were bundled out for a mere 46 runs in just 31.2 overs on Day 2, marking the third-lowest total in India’s Test cricket history. This collapse has not only set a number of unwanted records but also left fans and experts reeling.

 

India’s Lowest Totals in Test Cricket

The score of 46 runs is now etched in India’s cricketing history as the third-lowest total in their long Test journey. It brings back haunting memories of India being bowled out for 36 against Australia in Adelaide in 2020, their lowest total in Test cricket. This recent collapse also set a new record for the lowest total by any team on Indian soil, surpassing the previous record of 53 by the West Indies against Pakistan in Faisalabad in 1986.

For Indian fans, such low scores are hard to digest, especially since India was coming off a successful series against Bangladesh. The team, currently topping the World Test Championship table, was expected to perform well in home conditions. However, New Zealand’s pace attack, led by Matt Henry, who claimed five wickets, and William O’Rourke with four wickets, proved too much for the Indian batters.

 

Ducks Ample Among India’s Top Seven

One of the most alarming records set in this match was the number of ducks registered by India’s top seven batters. For the first time in Indian Test history, four of the top seven batters were dismissed without scoring. Players like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Sarfaraz Khan all fell cheaply, adding pressure to the Indian side early on. It was also the first time in 36 years that five of India’s top eight batters got out for a duck, the last instance being in 1988.

The only two players who managed to score in double digits were Yashasvi Jaiswal, who made 13 runs, and Rishabh Pant, who managed 20. However, their efforts were nowhere near enough to save India from one of their most humiliating batting collapses in recent memory.

 

Top Four Fail Miserably

Adding to India’s woes was the failure of the top four batters. With Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Sarfaraz Khan failing to make a mark, India recorded the third-fewest runs by their top four in a home Test match. This was only the third time in India’s Test history that they lost three wickets for just 10 runs at home, with previous instances occurring in Mohali in 1999 and Ahmedabad in 2010, both against New Zealand.

 

Is This a Wake-Up Call for India?

India’s performance in Bengaluru serves as a stark reminder that no team, no matter how strong, is immune to sudden collapses in cricket. With five of their batters dismissed for ducks and the team failing to handle New Zealand’s seam attack, India now finds itself under immense pressure to bounce back in the series. The question remains: how will they recover from this historic low? The next few days of the series will surely reveal whether India can turn things around or whether more unwanted records are on the horizon.