IND vs NZ, 1st Test, Day 4 Highlights: New Zealand bowlers restricted India's lead to 106 after Sarfaraz Khan and Rishabh Pant's 177-run partnership.
Brief Score: IND 46 & 462 (Sarfaraz Khan 150, Rishabh Pant 99, Will O’Rourke 3/92) lead NZ 402 & 0/0 by 106 runs.
Sarfaraz Khan’s brilliant maiden Test ton and a counterattacking 99 from Rishabh Pant saw India going past 450 in the second innings. But the Kiwis grabbed the pole position courtesy of their pacers, who broke India’s lower middle order and kept the lead down to 106.
Talking Points: The 177-run stand between Sarfaraz and Pant gives India hope
After enduring a shocker of a first innings, India's batters produced a spirited performance in the second innings. At 4.64, India made a whopping 464 runs, and this was largely thanks to a monumental partnership of 177 between Sarfaraz and Pant.
Their stand not only gave India a lead of more than 100 but, at one point, pushed them into ascendancy. Though New Zealand bowlers nullified all the advantages, the home side had a ray of hope for a win when the two youngsters were at the crease.
Read More: IND vs NZ, 1st Test, Day 3: Rachin's counter-attacking 134 headlines 450+ runs day; India 125 adrift
Sarfaraz Khan and Rishabh Pant dominate a rain-hit first session
The home side started the day at 231/3, with overnight batter Sarfaraz Khan still unbeaten at 70. Accompanying was Rishabh Pant, and the duo were off the blocks quickly, especially Sarfaraz. The right-hander used the third-man region to get the maximum runs, and he quickly raced to his maiden Test century, which had just 110 balls.
Though there were some nervy moments between the duo in the running, they complimented each other in this partnership regarding stroke play. They brought up their first-ever 100-run stand together in the Test, and Pant got his half-century before rain halted proceedings. India finished the first session at 344/4, just 12 shy of taking the lead.
India gains an 82-run lead but loses Sarfaraz and Pant
After a couple of hours of a break due to rain, the pair of Sarfaraz and Pant continued to score at a fair clip, with the latter being the aggressor. India got into the lead and extended it to 50 quickly. Pant was going all guns blazing.
Just when India looked to assume dominance in the Test match, New Zealand came back into the game with a flurry of wickets as they took the second new ball. Tim Southee first broke a 177-run stand between Pant and Sarfaraz before Will O’Rourke pouched two quick wickets just before tea, including the left-hander.
Kiwi pacers proved too good for India’s lower order
After picking three wickets late in the second session, the Kiwi continued their impressive work by removing India’s last two recognised batters, Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin, in quick succession. A lion-hearted effort from pacers O’Rourke and Henry derailed India’s quest to pile up a large lead as the hosts managed to be up by 106 runs after the third innings.
Statistical highlights from India vs New Zealand, 1st Test, Day 4
India have crossed 500 fours in Tests in the calendar year 2024. This is the second-most number of fours in Tests this year by any team after England (789).
Sarfaraz Khan has registered his maiden hundred in Test cricket.
This is the sixth time 4 or more of the top 5 India batters have registered a fifty-plus score in a single innings in Test cricket against NZ.
Pant crossed the 2500-run mark in Test cricket and is the 31st player.
The 177-run stand between Sarfaraz and Pant is India's highest fourth-wicket stand in Tests vs. NZ in the third innings.
Rishabh Pant has now compiled 18 fifty-plus Test scores. It is now the joint second-most number of fifty-plus scores by an India wicketkeeper-batter, along with Farokh Engineer. MS Dhoni sits at the top with 39 fifty-plus scores.
The fourth wicket partnership of 171 between Sarfaraz & Rishabh is the fastest (5.03 run rate) for this wicket for India in Tests (among 100+ stands).
This was Sarfaraz’s maiden 150 score in Tests and 11th in all his first-class career.
This was Pant's seventh score in the nervous nineties and the first time he had been dismissed for 99. He was also the second India wicket-keeper batter after MS Dhoni to be dismissed for 99.
This was the third time in history that an India batter got a 0 & 150+ score in the same match.
What’s Next
An exciting Day 5 is on the cards, with New Zealand looking to secure their first Test win in India in 36 years. But they will have to overcome a strong Indian bowling line-up that has dominated at home like no other in recent memory.
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