New Zealand staged a comeback after powerful innings from India’s Sarfaraz Khan and Rishabh Pant on the rain-shortened fourth day of the first Test on Saturday, leaving the visitors needing 107 runs to win.
Fast bowlers Matt Henry and William O’Rourke claimed three wickets each, dismissing India for 462 in the final session in Bengaluru.
New Zealand’s captain Tom Latham and Devon Conway started their innings, but only four balls were delivered with no runs scored before bad light stopped play, followed by a heavy downpour that led to the day’s end.
Rain also disrupted the end of the morning session, resulting in a loss of approximately two hours on a day full of events.
Sarfaraz, who scored 150, and the left-handed Pant, who made 99, shared a 177-run partnership for the fourth wicket, overcoming India’s significant deficit of 356 before the second new ball turned the tide for the Black Caps.
Sarfaraz, a middle-order batsman playing his first century in four Test matches, was dismissed shortly after reaching 150, caught at cover off Tim Southee.
O’Rourke prevented Pant from reaching his century with an around-the-wicket delivery that clipped the edge and hit the stumps and then removed KL Rahul for 12 just before the tea break.
Pant was batting after a day’s rest due to a knee injury.
This was the same knee he injured in a severe car accident in December 2022, which sidelined him for over a year.
The wickets continued to fall as O’Rourke took out Ravindra Jadeja and Henry finished the innings with two wickets in one over.
Earlier, Sarfaraz hit a back-foot boundary through cover off Southee to complete his century, receiving a hug from Pant and a standing ovation from the crowd and his teammates. India had been dismissed for 46 in their first innings, their lowest home total.
New Zealand’s Rachin Ravindra then led the visitors with a score of 134, guiding them to a total of 402 all out.
The first day’s play was cancelled due to rain.
