- By Namrata Vijay
- Fri, 18 Oct 2024 12:10 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
IND vs NZ, 1st Test: Although the Men in Blue might have been skittled out for just 46 runs in Bengaluru on Thursday, Aakash Chopra has come in support of them to bounce back brilliantly in the series opener against New Zealand. They had a forgetful outing with the bat as five batters were dismissed for a duck and they were skittled out within 30 overs.
But Aakash Chopra hasn't been affected much by this batting collapse as he thinks that this is just a one-off. During an interaction on Colours Cineplex Chopra reckoned that the Rohit Sharma-led side can score 400-450 runs as the impact of the rain has come down on the surface.
Chopra gave the example of the 2001 Eden Test match against Australia, where the Sourav Ganguly-led side was given a follow-on due to their shambolic performance during the first innings. Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman helped the team bounce back by batting brilliantly during the second innings.
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"When it happened in 2001, no one had thought until then that it could happen. What happened in Kanpur, we hadn't thought that could happen as well. This match is on. I am not dreaming as of now but it's a possibility. The 46-run innings has passed. The wicket is going to be good. The opposition bowlers who picked up 10 wickets won't trouble you now. That's past," Aakash Chopra was quoted as saying on Colours Cineplex.
"Now the spin that will come will be Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, and Ajaz Patel. You should back yourselves. Even your No. 8 batter has six centuries. So if you play like that, you might score 400-450. However, to reach there, you have to stop them first because if they reach a situation where they can declare, India will lose this match," he concluded.
India bowled out for 46
After scripting history in Kanpur earlier this month, the Rohit Sharma-led side had a forgetful outing against the Kiwis, as they were skittled out for just 46 runs on the second day of the series opener. They could bat for just 31.2 overs under overcast conditions in Bengaluru as the hosts created an unwanted record by registering their third-ever lowest total in the history of the format. This was also their lowest Test total in India.
New Zealand fast bowlers William O'Rourke and Matt Henry wreaked havoc as Tim Southee drew the first blood by dismissing India skipper Rohit Sharma during the first over. The decision of batting first under overcast conditions didn't work in their favor on a surface that was under covers for the last three days due to incessant rain.
About five batters got out on a duck during the first innings. Virat Kohli, who came into bat at No.3, Sarfaraz Khan, Ravindra Jadeja, KL Rahul, and R Ashwin were all seen struggling to score runs in Bengaluru on Thursday.