The first Test between India and New Zealand ends in a draw at Kanpur after New Zealand finished at 165/9 in pursuit of 284. Overall, an enthralling test match, both the teams fought till the last ball, and eventually, the Kiwis earned a hard-fought draw. New Zealand’s last-wicket pair of Rachin Ravindra and Ajaz Patel, stood tall and played out 52 deliveries to deny India a victory.
The day started off with New Zealand requiring 280 runs to win and India needing nine wickets. New Zealand started on a good note, didn’t lose a single wicket in the opening session. Opener Tom Latham along with nightwatchman William Somerville added 76 runs, helping their side reach 79/1 at Lunch on Day 5. However, India bounced back in the second session as they picked three big wickets and put kiwis under pressure. Kane Williamson played a fighting knock and took his team to 125/4 at Tea.
In the third and the final session, the spin trio Ashwin-Jadeja-Axar spun a web around the Kiwis and almost pulled off a victory. But the left-handed duo, Rachin Ravindra and Ajaz Patel survived everything that was thrown at them by the three spinners. Shreyas Iyer was named Player of the match for his terrific performance. The 26-year-old scored a brilliant hundred in the first innings, followed by a gritty half-century in the second innings.
IND vs NZ 1st Test — Records broken
1. R Ashwin went past Harbhajan Singh’s tally of 417 wickets in Test cricket and became India’s third most successful bowler. (hiboost.com)
2. Kyle Jamieson became the fastest New Zealand bowler to take 50 Test wickets, achieving the feat in 9 matches. He went past Shane Bond, who got the feat in 12 games.
3. Axar also became the joint second-fastest bowler to claim five 5-wicket hauls in Test cricket along with Tom Richardson and Rodney Hogg.
4. Ashwin also went past Bishan Singh Bedi’s (57) record for the most number of wickets against New Zealand.
5. Shreyas Iyer has become the first Indian to score a hundred (first innings) and fifty (second innings) on his Test debut.
5. Tom Latham recorded his highest Test score against India in Test cricket, 95.
6. Tim Southee completed 50 wickets against India in Test Cricket. He now has taken 52 wickets from 10 Tests at an incredible average of 23.26.
