India fall to their lowest home Test total after opting to bat against New Zealand

India's vaunted batting line-up was thrashed for the lowest Test score at home while the New Zealand seamers bowled them out for just 46 in Bengaluru.

After the opening day passed, India opted to bat first but the move soon backfired as they immediately found themselves in trouble at 10 for 3, setting the tone for what was to come.

They recorded their third-lowest total in Test history (the lowest was 36 all-outs in Adelaide in December 2020), their lowest total in the first innings of a match (previously 58 all-outs in Brisbane in 1947) and their lowest ever at home. In 1987, they were bowled out by West Indies in Delhi for 75 points.

Five Indian batsmen were dismissed for ducks, including Virat Kohli, who played at number 3 and was unavailable to Shubman Gill. It was only the second time that five Indian players made a duck. Only two players, Yashasvi Jaiswal (13) and Rishabh Pant (20), managed to reach double figures.

New Zealand needed just three bowlers – all seamers – in the 32-over innings. Matt Henry led the way in the defeat, posting impressive figures of five for 15 and taking a great catch to dismiss Jasprit Bumrah from English-born newcomer Will O'Rourke. To cap Henry's day, his fifth wicket ended India's innings and took him to 100 internationals in Test cricket.

O'Rourke was also outstanding, scoring four for 22, including the big wickets of Kohli and Jaiswal. The other wicket to fall was taken by Tim Southee, who set the tone by dismissing Indian captain Rohit Sharma.

Southee recently stepped down as captain, making this a dream start as captain for opener Tom Latham. New Zealand have been going through a difficult time, recently losing 2-0 in Sri Lanka and seeing their best batsman, Kane Williamson, withdraw from that Test due to injury.

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