New Zealand registered a comprehensive 10-wicket win over India before lunch on the fourth day of the first Test at the Basin Reserve to take a 1-0 lead in the two-match series.
Tom Latham (7*) and Tom Blundell (2*) remained not-out as they knocked off the nine runs needed for victory in just ten balls after the visitors were dismissed for a paltry 191 in their second innings. It was New Zealand’s 100th Test victory.
The 10-wicket loss was 🇮🇳's first defeat in the ICC World Test Championship 🏆 #NZvIND pic.twitter.com/FletOSBASs
— ICC (@ICC) February 24, 2020
India lost their final six wickets for just 47 runs on Monday morning as Tim Southee (5/61) and Trent Boult (4/39) combined to rip through the lower middle order and then finish off the tail.
The visitors, who had not lost any of their seven previous ICC World Test Championship matches, began the day on 144 for 4 with all hopes resting on Ajinkya Rahane’s shoulders, but that lasted all of 13 balls.
Rahane departed first, and then India stuttered to 162 for 7, running a real risk of suffering an embarrassing innings defeat.
Rishabh Pant and Ishant Sharma somehow dragged India out of that quandary but surrendered soon to set New Zealand a target of nine runs.
Tim Southee is the @ANZ_NZ Player of the Match at the @BasinReserve. 9 wickets in the Test including his 10th 5 wicket haul. #NZvIND pic.twitter.com/sI0BoPfBlW
— BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) February 24, 2020
Brief Scores: India 165 & 191 (Mayank Agarwal 58, Ajinkya Rahane 29; Trent Boult 4-39, Tim Southee 5-61) lose to New Zealand 348 (Kane Williamson 89, Ross Taylor 44, Kyle Jamieson 44; Ishant Sharma 5-68, Ravichandran Ashwin 3-99) & 9/0 by 10 wickets.
