India vs New Zealand 1st Test, Kanpur, Highlights: Trent Boult, Mitchell Santner Help NZ Grab Honours On Day 1

Led by Trent Boult, New Zealand bowlers restricted Virat Kohli-led India to 291/9 on Day 1. Earlier, Murali Vijay and Cheteshwar Pujara played splendidly to help India seize advantage in first half of the play before the visitors struck regularly to derail India's progress. Get highlights of India vs New Zealand here. (SCORECARD | NEWS | VIDEOS)
 

16:50 hrs IST: That's it for today. Do join us tomorrow for the live coverage of the second day's play. Until then, it's goodbye. Cheers! 

 

Trent Boult (R) was the pick of the bowlers for New Zealand as he finished with figures of 3/57.

© AFP

 

16:41 hrs IST: And that's the end of the day. India finish on 291/9. Jadeja remains unbeaten on 16 while Umesh is on 8. 

16:27 hrs IST: OUT! And Boult strikes again. Shami departs for a duck. India are 277/9 after 87.1 overs. 

16:19 hrs IST: WICKET! Ashwin c Taylor b Boult 40(76). India are 273/8 after 85.5 overs. 

16:13 hrs IST: FOUR! Fullish delivery from Santner and Jadeja whacks it past the fielder at mid-off for his first boundary. 

16:07 hrs IST: OUT! Saha b Boult 0(2). India are 262/7 after 83.5 overs. 

16:02 hrs IST: WICKET! Rohit c Sodhi b Santner 35(67).  India are 261/6 after 83 overs. 

15:57 hrs IST: India are 260/5 after 82 overs. Rohit 35*, Ashwin 34*

15:47 hrs IST: FOUR! Excellent shot from Rohit. Comes down the track and lofts it over the fielder at mid-on. India are 256/5 after 80 overs. NZ take the new ball. 

15:40 hrs IST: FOUR! Flighted delivery from Craig, Ashwin gets into position and cuts it past the fielder at point. India are 247/5 after 78 overs. 

15:30 hrs IST: Consecutive boundaries for Ashwin. India are 236/5 after 75 overs. Time for drinks. 

STAT ATTACK - 85.20: Kohli's batting average in Tests against New Zealand. 

15:14 hrs IST: India are 225/5 after 72 overs. Rohit 24*, Ashwin 10* 

15:03 hrs IST: India are 216/5 after 69 overs. Rohit 21*, Ashwin 4*

14:55 hrs IST: It's been a great fightback from New Zealand. The Rohit-Ashwin partnership now will hold the key to India's chances. 

Great fightback from @BLACKCAPS, Kane Williamson captaincy on point. @BCCI going in with 6 batters a blessing now! #INDvNZ

- Tom Moody (@TomMoodyCricket) September 22, 2016

14:47 hrs IST: WICKET! Rahane c Latham b Craig 18(36). India are 209/5 after 64 overs. In walks R Ashwin at no. 7

14:41 hrs IST: SIX! Another loose delivery from Sodhi, Rohit goes back and pulls it over deep mid-wicket boundary for a maximum. 

14:36 hrs IST: FOUR! Too short from Sodhi, Rahane rocks back and slaps it behind square for his second boundary. India are 192/4 after 61 overs. 

14:31 hrs IST: Welcome back! Craig to restart the proceedings. 31 overs left in the day. Testing times for Rohit and at the same time an ideal opportunity for him to press his claim for a permanent spot in playing XI. 

14:11 hrs IST: And that's tea. Good session for the visitors (not to forget brilliant captaincy from Kane Williamson to get rid of Kohli). We'll be back in 20 minutes time. Stay tuned for live updates. 

14:07 hrs IST: OUT! That's a massive breakthrough for New Zealand. Sodhi gets his first as Vijay departs for 65. India are 185/4 after 58.1 overs. 

14:01 hrs IST: India are 185/3 after 57 overs. Vijay 65*, Rahane 12*. 10 minutes to go for tea. 

STAT ATTACK - 14.66 - Kohli's batting average against Wagner in Tests. 

13:44 hrs IST: FOUR! Wide delivery from Santner and Rahane smacks it away through extra cover for his first boundary. 

13:37 hrs IST: OUT! New Zealand's short ball plan has worked and Kohli is the first one to perish. Sodhi completes a neat catch at fine-leg boundary. India are 167/3 after 51.3 overs. The hosts in slight trouble now. 

Virat Kohli since his 200 in Antigua
60 runs in 4 innings#IndvNZ#500thTest#India500

- Mohandas Menon (@mohanstatsman) September 22, 2016

13:31 hrs IST: FOUR! What a way to get off the mark! Too short from Santner, Kohli gives himself room and smashes it to cover boundary. 

13:26 hrs IST: Kanpur crowd goes berserk as skipper Kohli comes in to bat. A ton would be the least the fans would want from him. 

13:23 hrs IST: WICKET! And Santner gets his second. Pujara departs for a well-made 62. India are 158/2 after 48.4 overs. 

13:16 hrs IST: 44 runs have been scored by India in 16 overs this session. 

13:10 hrs IST: India are 147/1 after 46 overs. Pujara 59*, Vijay 52*. Time for drinks. 

13:02 hrs IST: Still no signs of reverse swing. New Zealand haven't bowled that badly but it's been the Vijay-Pujara show that has made all the difference. India are 140/1 after 44 overs. 

12:55 hrs IST: STAT ATTACK - 0: Number of half-centuries hit by Vijay against New Zealand in Tests before this match. 

12:48 hrs IST: And Pujara also reaches the landmark. His 8th in Tests. Needs to make a big one now. For New Zealand, the situation is clear. They need wickets. 

Pujara is back to what he does best---picking the length early & using his feet to either go deep inside the crease or dance down the track!

- Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) September 22, 2016

12:43 hrs IST: Single and that's fifty for Vijay. His 13th in Tests. Well compiled innings from him! India are 133/1 after 40 overs. 

12:35 hrs IST: FOUR! Short and wide from Boult and Vijay cuts it late past the deep third man region. Moves to 49 now. 

12:28 hrs IST: India are 122/1 after 37 overs. Pujara 45*, Vijay 45*. 

12:20 hrs IST: Six players in the current New Zealand squad have played Tests in India (Williamson, Taylor, Guptill, Watling, Boult and Bracewell). 

12:16 hrs IST: Five runs off Boult's fifth. India are 110/1 after 32 overs. 

Hope the 500th test for @BCCI and team India is a cracker. A great honor to all playing. Good luck to them and @BLACKCAPS.

- Kumar Sangakkara (@KumarSanga2) September 22, 2016

12:14 hrs IST: First runs of the session for India. Boult strays down the leg and Pujara flicks it to deep square leg for a single. 

12:10 hrs IST: Welcome back! Boult to bowl the first over post-lunch. Pujara to take strike for India. 

11:50 hrs IST: Former chief selector Sandeep Patil makes a shocking statement regarding Sachin Tendulkar. Read here 

11:30 hrs IST: And that's lunch. India are 105/1 after 31 overs. Vijay 39*, Pujara 34*. New Zealand in desperate need of wickets now. We'll back in a few minutes time. 

11:23 hrs IST: India are 97/1 after 25 overs. Vijay 36*, Pujara 29*. 

11:16 hrs IST: FOUR! And that's fifty-run partnership between Vijay-Pujara. India are 94/1 after 27 overs. 15 minutes to go for lunch. 

STAT ATTACK - 109.50: Pujara's average in first-class matches in India this year. 

INTERVIEW - @sachin_rt speaks about his fondest of memories from Test Cricket, current #TeamIndia and morehttps://t.co/FBDKQcaTPn

- BCCI (@BCCI) September 22, 2016

11:02 hrs IST: FOUR! Pujara comes the track (again) and hammers it straight down the ground. 4th boundary for him. India are 86/1 after 24 overs. 

10:56 hrs IST: FOUR! Flighted delivery from Craig, Pujara dances down the track and hits it well between mid-wicket and long-on region. 

10:52 hrs IST: Vijay has looked compact, Pujara is slowly but surely getting back in the business. Good signs for India. 

10:47 hrs IST: FOUR! Touch short from Santner, Vijay makes room and cuts it well past the fielder at backward point for a boundary. Santner is clearly unhappy with himself. India are 61/1 after 19 overs. 

10:44 hrs IST: Slight hint of turn for offie Mark Craig. Both Vijay and Pujara will face a stiff challenge to go into lunch unbeaten. India are 57/1 after 18 overs. 

10:40 hrs IST: First hour was going pretty well for India before Rahul's dismissal hampered their progress. Let's see how the second hour pans out. 

10:34 hrs IST: India are 51/1 after 15 overs. Vijay 14*, Pujara 5*, Santner 1/19

Mr. Gavaskar reveals the story behind his hairdo - @Paytm Test Cricket #INDvNZ pic.twitter.com/gZpY7ImvRd

- BCCI (@BCCI) September 22, 2016

Sachin Tendulkar: "The future of Test cricket has to be a nice balance between bat and ball. Sometimes it is not right, it is in favour of batsmen. There has to be a format in cricket where bowlers dominate a bit. It feels good to leave something behind for the next generation." 

10:22 hrs IST: In comes Pujara at number three. He recently scored a double ton in the final of the Duleep Trophy for India Blue. 

10:18 hrs IST: OUT! Just the breakthrough New Zealand wanted. Santner gets his first as Rahul falls after a solid 32. India are 42/1 after 11 overs. 

10:14 hrs IST: SIX! Flatter delivery from Santner, Rahul gets down on one knee and sweeps it over deep mid-wicket boundary for first maximum of the day. 

Wow #500thTest
Must score 500+runs and win this to make this a memorable one.
India India - the favourite team of most people on the planet

- Virender Sehwag (@virendersehwag) September 22, 2016

10:09 hrs IST: Seven runs off Santner's first. No turn yet. India are 33/0 after 9 overs. Wagner to continue. 

10:05 hrs IST: Santner comes in as the first change. He was impressive during New Zealand's recent Test series against Zimbabwe.. 

10:00 hrs IST: Consecutive boundaries for Rahul. Looks in top form! India are 22/0 after 7 overs. 

09:57 hrs IST: New Zealand have not lost their three series in sub-continent. All three (vs Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Pakistan) were drawn. 

09:50 hrs IST: Another tidy from Boult. Just one run in the last three overs for India. 

09:45 hrs IST: And just what was said few minutes back, Wagner has started his barrage of bouncers. Testing times for both openers. India are 12/0 after 4 overs. 

STAT ATTACK - At home, India have won their last three Tests against New Zealand. 

09:38 hrs IST: Decent first over from Wagner. Williamson has specifically placed a fielder at deep mid-wicket. Get a feeling Rahul and Vijay might have to face a barrage of bouncers now. 

09:33 hrs IST: FOUR! This is brilliant from Rahul. Slightly overpitched from Boult and he drives it past the deep extra cover region. India are 8/0 after first over. 

09:31 hrs IST: FOUR! First boundary of the day for India. Juicy full-toss from Boult, Rahul punches it down the ground and gets off the mark in the style. 

Former #TeamIndia Captains felicitated ahead of #500thTest - @Paytm Test Cricket #INDvNZ pic.twitter.com/OzZGhQn4p0

- BCCI (@BCCI) September 22, 2016

09:29 hrs IST: New Zealand players make their way out in the middle. Boult to start the proceedings for them. Rahul to face the first ball. 

09:26 hrs IST: Teams are gearing up for their national anthems. 

09:12 hrs IST: Here are the playing XI of both teams: 

India: Murali Vijay, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (c), Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, R Ashwin, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammad Shami, Umesh Yadav  

New Zealand: Martin Guptill, Tom Latham, Kane Williamson (c), Ross Taylor, Luke Ronchi , BJ Watling, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Mark Craig, Neil Wagner, Trent Boult 

Williamson: "Fairly dry surface. Preparation's been good. Acclimatised to the heat in Delhi, but I supposed the wicket looks a little bit different. Exciting young team. We've got some world-class seamers who have shown their skills for a long period of time." 

Kohli: "Looks like a pretty good wicket for day one. The start has been good in West Indies, preparation has been really good, the intenstiy is really high. Part of the 500th Test, I couldn't even imagine I'd be captaining it. I am grateful and honoured." 

09:02 hrs IST: Indian skipper Virat Kohli wins the toss and opts to bat first. 

08:58 hrs IST: A proud moment for all Indian fans! 

It's about time #500thTest #INDvNZ #TeamIndia @Paytm Test Cricket pic.twitter.com/NuVWJR2TDY

- BCCI (@BCCI) September 22, 2016

08:55 hrs IST: Team Update - Jimmy Neesham will miss this Test due to injury while Tim Southee has been ruled out of the series because of an ankle injury. As for India, Ishant Sharma is out owing to chikungunya. 

08:54 hrs IST: A warm welcome to our live coverage of the Day 1 of the first Test between India-New Zealand. 

 

Virat Kohli-led India can become No.1 Test team if it wins New Zealand Test series.

© Reuters

 

Kanpur has always been a happy hunting ground for India. India have won four of their last five Tests at Green Park and drawn one. Not among India's prime Test centres, BCCI's rotation policy got them India's 500th Test match. India are the fourth team in the world to play 500 Tests.

By their daunting record at home, India will start as the overwhelming favourites. In the last three seasons, cricket's big boys Australia, West Indies and South Africa have capitulated on India wickets and this young New Zealand team will certainly find the Test series challenging.

Six New Zealand players in the current squad, including skipper Kane Williamson and Martin Guptill, have the experience of playing Tests in India. The Kiwis will miss injured pacer Tim Southee, who has considerable knowledge of Indian conditions. All three are IPL regulars.

Onus will be on Williamson and Ross Taylor to share their IPL experience with others to help them familiarise with the conditions, which would be starkly different from what they experienced in their recent tour of South Africa.

But what makes New Zealand different from any other international team is the variety in their spin department (hyperlink Kumble on NZ). With a leg-spinner (Ish Sodhi), an off-spinner (Mark Craig) and a left-arm spinner (Mitchell Santner), the Kiwis have the spin arsenal to counter India on conditions that are expected to favour the slow bowlers. Sodhi and Santner left their impression during the ICC World T20 earlier this year in India.

There's no place like home if you are looking to scramble back to the top of the world rankings and that appears to be India's mantra as they kick off a bumper Test season. But young Test skipper Virat Kohli is aware of the fact that his batsmen haven't played spin well.

India's poor record as tourists have been a home truth but under Kohli, the team have won series in Sri Lanka and West Indies to briefly occupy the top Test rankings before arch-rivals Pakistan snatched it.

Kohli saw a gilt-edged opportunity to reclaim the tag in the big 'career-defining' home season which will also include Tests against England, Australia and Bangladesh.