Bengaluru, India
It was a day of humiliation for Indian batters on Thursday (Oct 17) after the hosts were bowled out for 46 runs in their first innings against New Zealand in the Bengaluru Test. This was India’s lowest total in Test cricket on Indian soil, which further raised eyebrows. After the humiliating score, netizens did not hold back, with some comparing India’s new low with Indian Premier League (IPL) side Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).
Team India gets compared to RCB
Playing at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, India’s total of 46 just fell short of RCB’s similar humiliating tally of 49 in the IPL. Like the Indian team on Thursday (Oct 17), RCB also play their home matches at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. In another comparison, Virat Kohli and Mohammed Siraj, remained the common element. Interestingly, Virat played for RCB in the match against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on 23 April 2017 at Eden Gardens.
RCB's 49 record broken at RCB's home ground Chinnaswamy under Head coach Gautam Gambhir.
— arfan (@Im__Arfan) October 17, 2024
One of the posts on X read, “RCB's 49 record broken at RCB's home ground Chinnaswamy under Head coach Gautam Gambhir.”
ALSO READ | Women's T20 World Cup, Aus vs SA Live Streaming: When & how to watch Australia vs South Africa semifinal
New Zealand dominate on Day 2
With no play on Day 1, it was Day 2 that made headlines as New Zealand bowled India out for 46 in their first innings. Only two Indian batters, Yashasvi Jaiswal (13) and Rishabh Pant (20), got into double figures as Indian batters disappointed big time. There were five ducks in the Indian innings, including of frontline batters Virat Kohli, Sarfraz Khan and KL Rahul. New Zealand used only three bowlers as Team India was bowled out in 31.2 overs with Matt Henry scalping five wickets. William O'Rourke ended with figures of 22/4 while Tim Southee got one wicket.
At the time of writing, New Zealand were 143/2 as Devon Conway led the charge for New Zealand. The Kiwis led by 97 runs and are now in pole position to win the Test match. Conway was batting on 89 while Rachin Ravindra was on 1.