Indian Cricket Team Faces Crushing Defeat in First Test Against New Zealand

The Indian cricket team's batting collapse in the first Test against New Zealand in Bengaluru has left the cricketing world stunned, as they were bowled out for a paltry 46 runs. The low score is a new milestone for India, marking their lowest total in a Test innings at home.

Former captain Ajay Jadeja expressed his disappointment, highlighting the poor batting and lack of fielding support, while Indian captain Rohit Sharma admitted that the team misread the conditions and made a crucial mistake by picking three spinners on a pitch that offered more movement to fast bowlers. The Indian batsmen struggled to cope with the seam movement, with Tim Southee, Will O'Rourke, and Matt Henry taking wickets. Rohit attributed the team's poor performance to their misjudgment of the pitch, which caught their spin bowlers off guard.

The team's decision to bat first on a surface that ultimately proved challenging for their spinners backfired, with India being reduced to 36-6 by lunch. Rohit revealed that the team judged the pitch to be flat and expected it to take turn later, but it instead provided extreme bounce, catching their spinners off guard. He took responsibility for the misjudgment and also shared that Kohli volunteered to bat at number three to take on extra responsibility due to Shubman Gill's unfitness.

The Indian team faces significant challenges ahead, including facing a 134-run deficit with seven wickets in hand. Rohit maintained that the team must dig deep and attempt to contain New Zealand's scoring to stay in the game. He acknowledged that the team's batting approach was attacking, but players got out to balls they could have defended, further exacerbating the problems

The series loss marks a challenging start for the Indian cricket team, and the focus now shifts to recovery and improvement for the upcoming matches. The team's misread of the pitch and subsequent batting collapse serve as a wake-up call, and it remains to be seen if India can bounce back to regain control of the game in the remaining matches of the series.