IND vs NZ: 2nd Test Review – India hammer New Zealand to complete home series win
India thrashed the New Zealand side by a whopping margin of 372 runs in the 2nd Test to seal the two-match series against their opponents by a margin of 1-0. It was a ‘complete’ performance by the Virat Kohli led side as they outplayed their opposition in every department of the game.
India were bowled out for 325 in the 1st innings, with Mayank Agarwal top-scoring with a 311-ball 150. In reply, New Zealand were shot out for just 62, as Ravichandran Ashwin ripped through their batting lineup, scalping 4 wickets.
India decided against enforcing the follow on and declared their second innings with their scorecard reading 276/7. In the second innings, the Black Caps were once again rendered clueless and were shot out for just 167, as India completed their annihilation.
Top Performers
Ajaz Patel
Even though Ajaz Patel ended up on the losing side, this is a Test match that he will never forget. The left-arm spinner scalped all 10 wickets to fall in India’s first innings, and became just the 3rd bowler in the history of the game to do so. After scalping 10 wickets in the first essay, Patel once again ripped through the Indian lineup in the second essay as well and gobbled up 4 Indian batters to finish with a match haul of 14 wickets.
Mayank Agarwal
Mayank Agarwal was the catalyst of the Indian side with the willow in both innings of the second Test match. Agarwal stamped his authority all over the Kiwis in the first innings, and smashed 150. He continued the good work in the second innings as well, and scored a fluent 62, to finish the Test match with 212 runs. Agarwal won the Player of the Match award.
Stats and Milestones
1. Ajaz Patel became just the 3rd cricketer in Test cricket history and the first-ever New Zealand bowler to scalp 10 wickets in a single Test innings. The other 2 cricketers to have done so are Anil Kumble and Jim Laker.
2. This crushing 372-run win is the largest victory for the Indian side in terms of runs in Tests. Their previous largest win was a 337-run win over South Africa in Delhi.
3. New Zealand suffered their biggest defeat in terms of runs in Test cricket, as they were pounded by 372 runs by Virat Kohli and his men. Their previous worst defeat was by 358 runs against South Africa in 2007.
What next for both teams?
India will next tour the land of South Africa for 3 Tests and 3 ODIs, and this series will begin on 26th December 2021. New Zealand, on the other hand, will not play any more cricket in 2021. They will start 2022 with a two-match Test series against Bangladesh that will begin on 1st January next year.
