India faced a shocking batting collapse at the hands of New Zealand on Thursday, as the visitors dismantled the entire Indian batting lineup for just 46 runs at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. This disastrous performance marks India’s lowest total on home soil and their third lowest score in Test cricket history.
Rohit Sharma’s decision to bat first after winning the toss proved disastrous. The hosts lost six wickets for just 34 runs in the first session, with the remaining batsmen managing to add only 12 more runs. Fast bowlers Matt Henry and William O’Rourke capitalised on the rainy, difficult conditions, ripping through India’s batting order with precision and ease.
O’Rourke took an impressive 4/22, while Henry’s 5/15 helped him reach a career milestone of 100 Test wickets. Together they bowled India out in just over 31 overs, leaving fans in disbelief.
The Indian team’s collapse left fans utterly disappointed and they took to social media to express their frustration. The combination of poor shot selection and relentless New Zealand bowling resulted in one of the most forgettable performances for India in recent memory.
Here are some selected reactions:
https://x.com/Pranjal81111995/status/1846817878462406850
https://x.com/sri_ashutosh08/status/1846814781803483596
https://x.com/ankurvermaup/status/1846819215132565709
https://x.com/Memeworld45/status/1846819806873346390
https://x.com/SatyakiRaghuna1/status/1846820492293927056
https://x.com/1no_aalsi_/status/1846816788782444974
https://x.com/Dheerajmeenaa/status/1846841941054394412
https://x.com/CricCrazyJohns/status/1846820013011030261
https://x.com/aakash_lakhia/status/1846817910741737975
https://x.com/AussiesArmy/status/1846825741633081508
https://x.com/Fukkard/status/1846826315712024715
https://x.com/byomkesbakshy/status/1846824993142813150
Cricket Australia also didn’t miss the chance to take a dig at the Indian team as it posted a video of India’s first innings of the Adelaide Test match with the caption,
“Is ‘All Out 46’ the new ‘All Out 36’?
#INDvNZ”
Here’s the tweet by Cricket Australia:
https://x.com/cricketcomau/status/1846822486194749804
With a meager total of 46 runs to defend, the pressure is now squarely on India’s bowlers. Led by pacer Jasprit Bumrah and spin ace R Ashwin, the bowling unit must deliver a standout performance to keep India in contention and salvage some pride from the match.
At the end of the day 2, New Zealand had scored 180/3 and they have taken a comfortable lead of 134 runs.
The Indian team will need to regroup quickly to turn the game around after this historic low.
