"RCB aren't the most embarrassing team in Bengaluru anymore" - Fans react as India get bowled out for 46 in IND vs NZ 2024 1st Test
Team India captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and chose to bat first in the first Test against New Zealand in Bengaluru on Thursday, October 17. The play commenced on Day 2 after the first day was washed out due to rain.
The host batters went down without a fight in the first innings. The New Zealand bowlers dominated the proceedings as the Indian wickets fell like ninepins.
Rishabh Pant (20) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (13) were the only batters who managed to cross double digits. The likes of Virat Kohli, Sarfaraz Khan, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, and Ravichandran Ashwin were dismissed for ducks.
India were ultimately bundled out for a paltry score of 46. Matt Henry and Will O'Rourke ran riot, bagging five and four wickets, respectively.
Several fans took to social media to react to India's batting performance. Here are some of the top reactions:
Some fans also trolled Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) as the Indian team struggled to get going with the bat on RCB's home ground.
"NZ must be thinking that they are playing against RCB since they are playing in Bangalore." wrote a fan
"RCB aren't the most embarrassing team in Bengaluru anymore." commented another
"34-6. Brilliant idea to bat first. Nz will go one up in this series. But most importantly this showed our real strength against overseas fast bowling conditions. BGT WILL BE A NIGHTMARE, HUGE NIGHTMARE HOPING NOT FOR A WHITEWASH." remarked a fan
It is worth mentioning that New Zealand have a poor record in India. They have just two wins to their name from the 36 Tests they have played on Indian soil. The Kiwi bowlers have put their team in the driver's seat in the Bengaluru Test as they look to clinch their first Test win in India since 1988.
"Hats off to Virat Kohli!" - Sanjay Manjrekar on the former India captain batting at No. 3 in Bengaluru Test
India are without top-order batter Shubman Gill in the Test series opener against New Zealand. The 25-year-old missed out due to pain in his shoulder and neck.
In Gill's absence, senior batter Virat Kohli was promoted to No. 3 in the batting order. Former cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar lauded Kohli for agreeing to move up the order for the team's sake.
He reckoned that the likes of Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly were reluctant to bat higher up the order in Test cricket.
The cricketer-turned-commentator wrote on X:
"Hats off to Virat Kohli! Coming out to bat at no 3 bcoz the team needed it. Ganguly, Tendulkar were very keen to open in white ball cricket, but never wanted to go up the order in Tests. That’s a true champion right there for you! Virat."
Meanwhile, India are currently the table-toppers of the World Test Championship (2023-25) points table. They have 98 points to their name along with a 74.240 percentage of points.