India Win The First Test Against New Zealand By A Big Margin

India achieved a clinical win over New Zealand late on day four as the Kiwi batting line up capitulated for 169 runs. That the Indian team would be favourites on a spinning track agaisnt a clueless team was known, but not many could have predicted that the win would be so facile. The hosts notched up a win by an innings and 115 runs.

Play started late on Day 4 due to rains and the Kiwis would have hoped to put up some staunch resistance to take the fight into Day 5. Once play resumed, overnight batsmen Brendon McCullum and Kane Williamson showed admirable skill and determination to survive through the first session. After scoring 42 runs in 130 deliveries, a very unlike McCullum innings, he got dismissed lbw to Umesh Yadav. The batsman was nonplussed with the decision and replays suggest he was slightly hard done by. Once Yadav got the breakthrough it was all one way traffic. The pair of Ojha and Ashwin ran through the rest of the line up. Barring Williamson who reached a half century, the rest of the middle and bottom order batsmen were like rabbit stuck in headlights.

Ashwin repeated his performance of the first innings and snared 6 wickets once again. He had match figures of 12 wickets for 85 runs, by far his best show in International cricket. Ojha got three wickets in the second innings to match those in the first. Because of his 12 wickets Ashwin pipped Pujara for the Man of the Match award.