‘Happy duck day’ - Netizens react as India register their lowest Test total at home

India and New Zealand kicked off their three-game Test by facing off in the first Test at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. Day 1 of the first Test was completely washed out, but the game went underway on day 2.

The clash began with India winning the toss and opting to bat first. With overcast conditions, New Zealand pacer looked to make the most of the situation with the ball in their hands. Team India opened their innings with Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal walking out to bat. As both batters looked to increase their stay on the crease, New Zealand’s bowling attack made sure that the hosts did not get any leeway.

Skipper Rohit departed for just two runs, while Virat Kohli was sent back a duck after he came into bat at No. 3 in Shubman Gill's absence. Furthermore, Sarfaraz Khan, who came into the lineup in as Gill’s replacement, departed for a duck as well. In the 13th over, India sat on a score of 13 runs, with the loss of three wickets as rain interrupted play. 

Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rishabh Pant aimed to stabilise the innings, however, Jaiswal departed for just 13. Rishabh Pant hung around for a while, scoring 20 runs before he was sent back while KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, and Ravichandran Ashwin were all dismissed for ducks. 

The tail did not last too long either, with Kuldeep Yadav departing for two and Jasprit Bumrah for one as New Zealand bundled India out just 46. For the visitors, Matt Henry was the highest wicket-taker with five wickets to his name while William O’Rourke and Tim Southee got four and one respectively.

Here’s how X reacted to the first innings between India and New Zealand: