First Time In 36 Years; Tom Latham Etches His Name In History Books With Memorable Win vs India In 1st Test

Tom Latham and Rohit Sharma [Source: @LokeshVirat18K, @MuzamalDhother/x.com]

New Zealand registered a memorable win against India in the first Test of the three-match series at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. With this win, Tom Latham etched his name into history books.

New Zealand put India on the back foot on Day 1

Rohit Sharma won the toss and opted to bat first in the game. However, the decision acted as a boomerang, as Matt Henry (5/15) and William O'Rourke (4/22) decimated the batting lineup and bundled them out for just 46 runs. The lack of resilience in the first innings put India on the back foot, and the home team had to chase the game. 

New Zealand, led by Rachin Ravindra's brilliant 134 off 157, posted 402 in their first innings and took a massive lead of 356 runs. India staged a dramatic comeback in the second innings, carried by Sarfraz Khan's gutsy 150 and Rishabh Pant's 99. It looked like they would take advantage of the game. However, another collapse towards the end of the second innings meant that India only managed to post a target of 107 runs for the visitors.

Even though New Zealand lost a couple of wickets in the chase, Will Young and Rachin Ravindra ensured their team reached the target with eight wickets. 

Tom Latham creates history

This win made Tom Latham, the skipper of the New Zealand team, the third Kiwi skipper to win a Test in India. The last time New Zealand won a Test match in India was in 1988 under the captaincy of former Indian coach John Wright at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. 

Here is a lit of the Tests won by New Zealand in India - 

After this win, New Zealand will be in high spirits for the next game. They will look to win the next match and seal the series. However, Rohit Sharma and his men will be eager to bounce back as another defeat will jeopardise their WTC Final qualification.