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New Zealand stuns India with historic Test win in Bengaluru, ending India’s six-match winning streak

India faced defeat against New Zealand in the first Test of the three-match series in Bengaluru. Rain washed out the entire day, delaying the start of the match. On Day 2, after winning the toss, India's captain Rohit Sharma chose to bat first—a decision that backfired. New Zealand capitalised on the favourable conditions and bowled out the team for a mere 46 runs.Top of Form

Bottom of Form

New Zealand batted well and scored 402 runs in the first innings. At their turn of batting in the second innings, India scored 107 runs, which New Zealand chased easily and won the match by eight wickets. This victory marked New Zealand's first Test win in India since 1988. The win ended the six successive Test match victory streak for India.

The defeat was severely criticised on social media. Fans branded him a "clueless captain."

Speaking at the post-match presentation, Rohit threw some light on the team's performance and underlined that it was a poor start but pride in their second-innings effort. "It was a good effort with the bat in the second innings. We didn't bat well in the first innings, so we knew what lay ahead, and a couple of guys stood out. When you're 350 runs behind, you can't overthink it; you just have to see the ball and bat. A couple of partnerships were exciting to watch and got us back in the game. We could have easily been bowled out, but I'm proud of the effort. Everyone is on the edge of their seat when those two (Sarfaraz and Pant) are playing," he said.

Rohit also appreciated the NZ bowling attack, which accepted the tough task India faced. "New Zealand bowled well and put up a challenge to every part of our batting, where we failed to respond. Such games happen. We will take the positive things and move on. A few players are in such situations. After losing to England, we won four on the trot. Now with two Test matches in hand, we know exactly what each one is expected to do. We'll play for the best performance."

The third test match of the series will start tomorrow in Pune, where India will look to bounce back and level the series.