New Zealand in India 2024/25, IND vs NZ 1st Test Match Report, October 16-20, 2024

Lunch New Zealand 345 for 7 (Ravindra 104*, Southee 49*, Jadeja 3-72) lead India 46 x 299 runs

India held their ground in the Test with some tireless bowling for just over 90 minutes, but Rachin Ravindra and Tim Southee blew them away in the final 45 minutes before lunch. India took four wickets to score just 53 runs, but Ravindra and Southee then added an unbeaten 112 for the eighth wicket, currently the second-fastest combination to reach 100-plus against India, and went into the lunch break with a lead of 299 runs. Ravindra raced to his second Test century and his second International hundred in the city of his roots.

When you come out bowling for 46 and start the day 134 behind and still have seven wickets to take, you need everything to go your way. After a looser first ball, the fast bowling duo of Mohammed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah kept New Zealand honest with accurate bowling and light nibbling in every direction. They took a wicket each before Glenn Phillips and Matt Henry struggled in a manner that suggested panic and a lack of confidence in their defence.

But Southee, who had 89 Test sixes to his name and a penchant for batting, batted with composure to keep Ravindra company. Ravindra continued to trust his partner even though the previous two batters had just missed balls on middle stump. There was a time in the partnership when Southee had 16 of the 19 balls. However, Southee managed to survive and refused to throw his bat at it.

Ravindra grew in confidence and hardly ever got into the goal area, either as a right-back or as a half-volleyball player. From the start of the 70th minute to the end of the 80th minute, he went from 48 out of 87 to 104 out of 125. He continued the day with 22 out of 34, taking the boundary off the full ball from Siraj's first ball and then respecting the Good bowling, although Daryl Mitchell and Tom Blundell each offered an outside advantage to the two quicks.

Phillips swung like there was no tomorrow, got a six but offered free passage to a straight ball from Jadeja. Henry managed two fours before losing his middle stump to Jadeja. Southee started cautiously but managed to survive.

In the 70th over, Ravindra skipped to Kuldeep Yadav to bowl it over his head again to reach his fifty. At this point he felt good about it and started moving forward with his intention. A second four in the over took the lead past 200. Kuldeep then handed over to Southee for another four. He was 4 of 18 at the time.

From the moment he started bowling on the second day, R Ashwin was under attack and offered a full toss in his first over of the day, which Ravindra dropped over midwicket for a six. The floodgates were indeed open. Ravindra now fiddled with the bowlers' lengths while Southee waited 39 balls to attempt his first six balls, hitting an over-pitched delivery from Ashwin, whose figures at lunch read 16-1-94-1.

India now began to wait for the new ball, but quickly slowed play to be able to return and regroup during the lunch break. They didn't even take the new ball when it was available. The one extra over bowling with the old ball before lunch resulted in four overthrows and Southee's 92nd six, which took him past Virender Sehwag on the all-time six-hitters list. There are only five men left in front of him.

However, the session belonged to Ravindra, who took his time before taking the game to the spinners.

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