India v New Zealand, 1st Test: New Zealand Player Ratings

The first India v New Zealand encounter has concluded in a win for the Indians. In spite of that, New Zealand most certainly were worthy opponents when they gave the Indians a run for their money. Luke Ronchi and Mitchell Santner were clearly the stalwarts as far as the New Zealand players were concerned, however, the fact of the matter was that there were some others who were most certainly outplayed.

However, in spite of that, it was somewhat clear that there were indeed a few decent individual performances as well as those who did not quite live up to the billing.

That said, we take a look at how the New Zealand players performed in the first Test against the Indians.

Martin Guptill – 4.5/10

In spite of some solidity in the first innings, Guptill was undone by his inability to play spin bowling. The 29-year old managed just 34 runs in the match 32 of which came in the first innings.

Tom Latham – 6.5/10

The southpaw has been quite impressive in his time with the bat for New Zealand. In the first innings, Latham managed an impressive 58 as he used the sweep shot to his advantage. However, a duck in the second innings saw Latham take his valuation as a batsman much lower than expected.

Kane Williamson – 7/10

The skipper of the New Zealand side showcased his class as usual. However, some acrimonious incidents involving sharp-turning deliveries from Ravi Ashwin ended with Williamson making the long walk back to the dressing room. He managed a well-constructed 75 in the first innings.

Ross Taylor – 2.5/10

Perhaps one of the biggest disappointments for the Kiwis was the performance of Ross Taylor. The 32-year old managed just the 17 runs in the match, all of which were scored in the second innings. Some carelessness whilst running between the wickets ensured that Taylor lost his wicket in the second innings in spite of making his ground.

Luke Ronchi – 8.5/10

In contrast to Ross Taylor, Luke Ronchi was the shining light for New Zealand with the bat. He seemed to be the only player who was able to play the spin as well as counter the threat posed by the Indian bowlers. His aggressive approach saw him smash 38 and 80 in each innings respectively.

Mitchell Santner – 9/10

The player of the match by a country mile as far as New Zealand was concerned was Mitchell Santner. With a few traits from former skipper Daniel Vettori, Santner impressed with both bat and ball as he claimed 5 wickets and 103 runs in the match. He also managed 71 runs in the second innings, an effort that delayed an Indian victory by a few hours.

BJ Watling – 7/10

The wicketkeeper-batsman looked somewhat solid when he batted in addition to some impeccable glove work. He managed 21 and 18 in the first and second innings respectively.

Mark Craig – 5/10

While the New Zealand camp shocked one and all by picking three spinners on the side. However, Mark Craig was a massive disappointment and also managed to injure himself in the process thereby ruling him out of the remainder of the series.

Ish Sodhi – 5/10

The 23-year old provided important breakthroughs for the Kiwis and also managed to keep the scoring down for the most part. However, in spite of this, Sodhi had little or no impact on proceedings as his partner in crime Mitchell Santner did most of the heavy lifting.

Trent Boult – 6.5/10

Apart from wrecking the Indians late on the first day in the post-tea session, Trent Boult was largely subdued in his endeavor of being New Zealand’s pace battery leader. He managed 3 wickets in the first innings and went wicketless in the second.

Neil Wagner – 6/10

The 30-year old Neil Wagner impressed quite a bit with some quick and short-pitched bowling. However, he joined Wagner in the second innings and went wicketless as the Indians amassed a massive score. Should Tim Southee be available for the second Test, Wagner is a contender to get the axe.