Ravichandran Ashwin on Day 5 of 1st Test match between India and New Zealand in Bengaluru.© BCCI

Picture from India vs New Zealand Bengaluru Test match.© BCCI

When New Zealand arrived for their three-match Test series against India, many didn’t give them a realistic chance to win even one game. But outstanding performances with bat and ball, as well as seizing big moments, helped them get their first Test win in India after 1988 with an eight-wicket victory at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. Set 107 to win and the start of final day of first Test delayed by rain, New Zealand were made to work very hard to get their runs, especially with a masterly Jasprit Bumrah displaying his extraordinary skill and control with the new ball to get two early scalps and was egged on by a raucous home crowd.

But Will Young, filling in at number three for injured Kane Williamson, made a solid 48 not out and got support from a free-flowing Rachin Ravindra’s 39 not out as New Zealand now becomes just the third team to beat India in India in the past decade and take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

For India, despite showing bounceback ability in second innings before losing seven wickets to second new ball on day four, the decisions related to toss, team combination and crashing to 46 all out in first essay, came back to haunt them.

On the second ball of day five’s play, India got its first breakthrough in defence of 107 as Jasprit Bumrah trapped Tom Latham lbw for a six-ball lbw with the one seaming back in. With Bumrah getting the ball to talk, Devon Conway was jumpy at the crease due to the pacer beating both of his edges.

Young finally got New Zealand’s first boundary of the chase in eighth over when he glanced Mohammed Siraj for four. It was followed by a hopping and skipping Conway getting two boundaries off Bumrah. Young continued to be astute by hammering Siraj for two fours, before Conway put one off Bumrah through the gap for four.

Bumrah was finally rewarded for his persistence when he got one to swing in after pitching and beat Conway’s outside edge to trap him lbw for 17. Rachin Ravindra straightaway got into the groove by opening face of the bat to steer Bumrah through gully, before flicking off his wrists to get another boundary.

New Zealand inched closer to win when Young got two fours off Jadeja – one off top-edge going over keeper and other being a superb cut through point. Ravindra also cut Jadeja for four, before Young danced down the pitch to flick through mid-wicket for six off Kuldeep Yadav.

Ravindra continued to time his shots to perfection when he slammed a cracking drive and slog over mid-wicket off Kuldeep for two fours, before sweeping him through the gap at square leg for another boundary. Young brought up New Zealand’s hundred with a reverse-sweep off Ravichandran Ashwin for four, before he hit the winning runs through a cut off Jadeja beating short third man for four to get a memorable Test win for New Zealand.

The fourth day of the ongoing 1st Test between India and New Zealand came to a pre-mature conclusion after bad light initially stopped play, before heavy rain led to early stumps in Bengaluru. Just four balls after New Zealand began their pursuit of 107, the on-field umpires took the reading on the light meter and went off the field, with dark clouds hovering over the stadium. The Indian players expressed their disappointment over the same. However, rain arrived and became heavy to bring an early end to the day’s play.

New Zealand were 0/0 after captain Tom Latham survived four deliveries from Jasprit Bumrah, including an lbw appeal. However, the visitors have enough time to chase down the total with one full day of play left on Sunday.

However, rain might have the final say on the outcome of the match. According to AccuWeather, rain is likely to return on the final day, with the forecast predicting an 80 per cent chance of downpour.

In addition, the sky is likely to be under cloud cover throughout the day. “Mostly cloudy with a thunderstorm,” AccuWeather’s forecast suggested.

Here’s the hourly weather forecast for Day 5:

If no play is possible on Day 5, the match will end in a draw. For New Zealand, that result would be feel like a missed opportunity. 

While the Indian team would give its 100 per cent on Day 5 to force a result, a draw wouldn’t be a bad outcome for them, especially considering that the hosts were bowled out for a paltry of 46 in the first inning.

New Zealand were rewarded for their patience after Sarfaraz Khan and Rishabh Pant hammered the bowlers in the first two sessions on Day 4.

Sarfaraz, who struck 150, and the left-handed Pant, who hit 99, put on 177 runs for the fourth wicket to overhaul India’s big deficit of 356 before the second new ball did the trick for the Black Caps.

Sarfaraz, who hit his first ton in four Test appearances, fell soon after reaching 150 when he was caught at cover off Tim Southee.

O’Rourke denied Pant his century with a delivery from around the wicket that took the edge of the bat and rattled the stumps and then got KL Rahul out for 12 on the stroke of tea.

Pant came in to bat after resting on Friday with a knee injury.

Fast bowlers Matt Henry and William O’Rourke took three wickets each to bowl out India for 462 in the final session in Bengaluru.

(With AFP Inputs)