India restricted at 291 for 9 at stumps on Day one, 1st Test

After electing to bat in the historic 500th Test, India lost opening batsman KL Rahul early for 32. However, India was comfortably placed at 154 for 1, courtesy of the 112-run second wicket stand between Vijay (65) and Pujara (62).

 

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However, the blend of a disciplined bowling effort from the Kiwis and some inept shot selection by middle and lower order, led to the falling of four wickets for 16 runs. The wickets fell in a span of 15 overs after New Zealand took the second new ball.

 

Rohit Sharma (35) once again got a start only to throw it away at the fag end of the day.  Ravichandran Ashwin was well set before being dismissed to a brilliant delivery from Trent Boult.

 

While left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner (3 for 77) rocked the top-order, it was Boult, who looked menacing with the second new ball finishing with figures of 3 for 57 in 17 overs. He picked his wickets during the last 10 overs of the day.

 

At the end of Day one, Ravindra Jadeja was batting on 11 with Umesh Yadav at the other end of eight runs.

 

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Although the Green Park track was not a rank turner on the first day, it did offer some assistance to the spinners. The Kiwis fielded three spinners – Santner, offie Mark Craig and leg-break bowler Ish Sodhi, who bowled 59 out of the 90 overs.

 

After the dismissal of Vijay and Pujara, it was Rohit (35) and Ashwin (40) who combined for a fighting 52-run stand for the sixth wicket.

 

In a critical phase in his Test career, Rohit was expected to fire. He did show some early promise before trying to chip one off Santner over mid-on and was holed out by Sodhi.

 

The other two Indian batsman who played a poor shot was skipper Virat Kohli (9), who fell to Neil Wagner's short ball mistiming a pull shot.

 

Boult, in his final spell of the day, got rid of Ashwin, wicket-keeper Wriddhiman Saha (0) and Mohammed Shami  (0) nearly polishing off the Indian tail.