India continue unbeaten run at home, beat New Zealand by 372 runs

Carrying on their dominant run at home, India continued their unbeaten steak and crushed New Zealand by 372 runs to win the two-match series 1-0. New Zealand were without the services of Kane Williamson and  it was always going to be an uphill task for the Kiwi batters against Indian spinners. Their vulnerabilities against the slower bowlers were exposed in the match as the spinners ripped apart their batting lineup. They were bowled out for 62 in the first inning, while 167 in the second.

It’s not that New Zealand didn’t have their chances. They got India batting under pressure on a few occasions in the first innings but a magnificent century by Mayank Agarwal helped India post a competitive 325. However, the Kiwi batters had no answers to the Indian bowlers and were bowled out for a mere 62, conceding a massive lead of 263. From there it was just a matter of time when India register a win.

For India, Ashwin picked eight wickets in the match, while Jayant Yadav picked 5, including 4 in the second inning. The win has boosted India’s position in the Test Championship table and they are now placed third, behind Sri Lanka and Pakistan. While they have the most number of points, their percentage of points is less than the aforementioned teams.

Here’s what the skippers said:

Virat Kohli – To come back with a win again, it’s a great feeling and a clinical performance. You want individuals to step up. The first Test was good, and it was a clinical performance here. We discussed the performance and the opposition played out a good draw. The bowlers tried all their best, but the Kiwi batsmen stuck it out really well in Kanpur. Here there was more bounce and the fast bowlers got assistance as well, so it gave us a better chance to win the Test match. The mindset is the same to take Indian cricket forward, even with the new management. It’s important to keep the standards of Indian cricket and make sure it’s always growing. South Africa is a good challenge. We built it up in England and South Africa last time, and Australia was an accumulation of all that experience. South Africa is a tough challenge and a win that we want to achieve as a team. Hopefully we can play in South Africa the way we know we can play, and win the series.

Tom Latham – A disappointing performance from us. Credit to India for putting up a great performance. 62 all-out would always have set us back. You always want to bat first here, and it only gets worse for batting, and it wasn’t how we wanted it to pan out. Guys are able to step up in different conditions and we have managed to get a lot of depth. Very special game for Ajaz, only the third time in the history of the game has a man got all ten. We’re going to play Bangladesh after we get back home and we’re going to start preparation for that series ASAP.