The Indian team hit rock bottom in Bengaluru’s overcast conditions on Day 2 of the opening Test against New Zealand on Thursday. For the first time in the illustrious history of cricket, India lost four batters for a duck from their top seven in a home Test.
Virat Kohli (0 off 9), KL Rahul (0 off 6), Sarfaraz Khan (0 off 3), and Ravindra Jadeja (0 off 6) all returned to the pavilion without troubling the scorers. Overall, India had five ducks, with Ravichandran Ashwin being dismissed for a golden duck on the first ball of the second session.
After India captain Rohit Sharma departed cheaply, scorching deliveries from New Zealand pacers continued to unsettle the Indian batters, leading to an exciting contest between bat and ball. ORourke silenced the crowd at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium by extracting extra bounce from the surface, surprising Kohli. The Indian stalwart tried to defend the ball off his toes but ended up gloving it to Glenn Phillips, who came flying from leg gully to take a stunning catch. This was Kohli’s first duck in 32 innings, his last coming against the same opposition in 2021 at Wankhede.
Sarfaraz, getting his much-awaited opportunity, slapped the ball with the bottom edge of his bat. Devon Conway leaped to his right at extra cover to complete a screamer of a catch. KL Rahul, upon arrival, was greeted by ORourke smashing the ball straight into his glove. With Rahul rattled, ORourke came back in his next over to claim the rewards for his efforts. Desperate to score, Rahul made an error, sending the ball down to Blundell’s left, becoming India’s third duck. Ravindra Jadeja soon followed as the fourth after a miscued shot.
With five ducks on the scoreboard, India’s tail tried to resist but to no avail. India eventually folded for 46.
