The first Test match between India and New Zealand has taken an interesting turn, with the Men in Blue needing to defend a meagre total of 107 runs in the fourth innings. While India must defend their lowest fourth-innings total to win this clash, Rohit's team will still believe they can secure victory after a remarkable turnaround in the game.
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In the rain-affected match, Sarfaraz Khan and Rishabh Pant helped the Men in Blue get back into the game by not only overcoming the 356-run lead set by New Zealand but also putting their team in the driver’s seat. However, the Indian innings fell apart remarkably quickly after the departure of Sarfaraz and Rishabh, leading to only a total of 107 runs being set for New Zealand.
Notably, a major controversy erupted after New Zealand openers Tom Latham and Devon Conway took the crease at Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. The two batters had faced only four deliveries when the umpires decided that the lighting conditions were unsuitable to continue play for the day.
The interruption due to bad light meant that India did not get a chance to bowl at the Kiwis during Day 4, missing an opportunity to take advantage of the favorable bowling conditions. The two players most affected by this situation were Indian captain Rohit Sharma and veteran batter Virat Kohli, who sparred with the umpires in an attempt to reverse their decision and bring the Kiwi batters back. However, their efforts ultimately went in vain, as the umpires presumably explained that they are the final judges regarding lighting conditions.
One user on X while commenting on the confrontation wrote, “This is peak cricket. We want more of it.”
Another user was reminded of a statement by Virat Kohli when he was the captain of Indian team, they wrote, “Tommorow scenario be like: For 90 overs they should feel hell out there”
While some users also defended the umpires, one such user wrote, “Right decision by Paul Reiffel and Michael Gough.”
