Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli engage in a heated argument with umpires over bad light on Day 4 of IND vs NZ 2024 1st Test
Team India captain Rohit Sharma and senior batter Virat Kohli were visibly upset after the on-field umpires halted play due to bad light on Day 4 of the India vs New Zealand Test at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Saturday, October 19. The Kiwis had faced only four balls in their second innings when the umpires halted play, deeming that the light was not good enough. Subsequently, it started raining as well and Stumps was called.
New Zealand are in a great position to win the first Test in Bengaluru. They need to chase down only 107 runs to register their first Test win in India since November 1988. The Kiwis bowled out India for 462 in their second innings as pacers William O’Rourke and Matt Henry claimed three wickets each. The hosts collapsed from 408-3 to 462 all-out, bringing New Zealand right back in the game.
As the Kiwis walked out to bat in their second innings for a tricky period towards the end of play, India would have been hoping to pick up a couple of early wickets. However, the umpires ordered the players to go off the field due to bad light after Indian pacer Jasprit Bumrah had bowled only four balls.
The on-field umpires' decision did not go down well with Indian captain Rohit, who was seen engaged in a rather lengthy and animated conversation with the match officials. Kohli was also seen exchanging a few words with the umpires, but the final decision had already been made. Notably, the reading on which players come off the field first time in a Test is set as a benchmark for the rest of the game.
India lost their way in the second innings after big Sarfaraz-Pant stand
India resumed their second innings on Day 4 at 231-3, trailing New Zealand by 125 runs. However, Sarfaraz Khan (150 off 195 balls) and keeper-batter Rishabh Pant (99 off 105) balls added 177 for fourth wicket to lift the hosts. Sarfaraz notched up his maiden Test ton, while Pant narrowly missed out on his seventh Test century.
After the partnership was broken, India suffered a shocking batting collapse and ended up losing seven wickets for the addition of only 54 runs. Local boy KL Rahul was dismissed for 12, while all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin managed only five and 15 runs respectively.