Flashback: India win their first overseas Test vs New Zealand in 1968
India have been one of the best travelling teams in the world as far as the red-ball format is concerned. In the last few years, the Indian team have registered back-to-back Test series triumphs in Australia in the 2018-19 and 2020-21 seasons respectively and are currently leading England 2-1 in the five-match series with the final Test rescheduled for July this year.
While India have had many memorable Test wins on foreign soil, the first of them had come against New Zealand on this very day in 1968. Without further ado, here’s a look at how the Indian team led by the legendary Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi registered their maiden away Test win.
When India broke their overseas Test jinx
India had visited New Zealand for a four-match Test series during the 1967/68 season the first of which was played at Carisbrook, Dunedin. The hosts won the toss and elected to bat and scored 350, riding on a brilliant 143 from opener Graham Dowling. All-rounder Syed Abid Ali was the pick of the India bowlers with figures of 4/56.
India in reply scored 359, courtesy of brilliant knocks from wicketkeeper-batter Farokh Engineer and Ajit Wadekar, who scored 63 and 80 respectively to get nine-run first-innings lead.
The Kiwis in their second innings were bundled out for 208 as off-spinner Erapalli Prasanna broke their backbone with a brilliant six-wicket haul to finish with figures of 6/94 thereby setting a target of 200 runs for India.
The Indians in their chase were reduced to 49/2 losing openers Abid Ali and Engineer early but, Ajit Wadekar (71) and Rusi Surti then added 103 runs for the third wicket stand. The middle-order duo of Motganhalli Jaisimha and Chandu Borde added finishing touches as India came out on top by five wickets.
The visitors lost the next Test match in Christchurch by six wickets but came back strongly in the next two matches at Wellington and Auckland with an eight-wicket and a 272-run win respectively to seal the four-match Test series 3-1.
