New Zealand vs India, 2020: 2nd Test, Day 1 – Southee gets Kohli yet again, India’s lowest with three 50s and more stats

India came up with an improvised batting performance in Christchurch but were bundled out for only 242 having lost their last six wickets for only 48 runs. Prithvi Shaw’s quick-fire 54 (64) at the top was supported by the fifties of Cheteshwar Pujara (54) and Hanuma Vihari (55).

The duo shared an 81-run stand for the 5th wicket after the dismissals of Kohli and Rahane for low scores in the 2nd session. Kyle Jamieson ran through India’s middle and lower-order with his Test career’s maiden 5-wicket haul. New Zealand batted out 23 overs before the stumps on day 1 where they scored 63 runs without losing a wicket.

All the statistical highlights from the first day’s play of the Christchurch Test match:

A low total despite three half-centurions:

242 – India’s total of 242/10 in the first innings is now their 2nd lowest total in Test cricket where three players scored fifties. During the 1955 Bahawalpur Test against Pakistan, India were bowled out for 235 in the first innings of the match despite three individual fifties.

Southee gets the better of Kohli yet again:

10 – Virat Kohli now has been dismissed by Tim Southee on ten occasions in International cricket; the most any bowler has dismissed Kohli across all three formats. Virat got out to James Anderson and Graeme Swann on eight instances apiece.

10 – Kohli is only the 2nd player who was dismissed by Tim Southee on as many as ten instances in International cricket. The New Zealand pacer also dismissed Dimuth Karunaratne on ten occasions in Internationals.

A record fifty by Prithvi:

20y 112d – Prithvi Shaw, at the age of 20 years and 112 days, is now the 2nd youngest Indian to score a fifty in Test cricket on New Zealand soil. Sachin Tendulkar was 16 years and 291 days old when he scored 88 in the 1990 Napier Test.

20y 112d – Prithvi Shaw is also the 2nd youngest Indian opener to score a fifty during an overseas Test in the first innings while batting first. Madhav Apte was 20 years and 108 days old when he scored 64 during the first innings of the 1953 Port of Spain Test against West Indies.

A rare fifty-run opening stand against India:

63* – The unbeaten 63-run stand between Tom Latham and Tom Blundell is the first 50+ opening stand for New Zealand in a home Test against India in the last 20 innings across the last 25 years. Bryan Young and Blair Hartland shared a 56-run stand in New Zealand’s 2nd innings during the 1994 Hamilton Test.

18 – This is also the first 50+ opening stand by any team against India in the last 18 Test innings. No opening pair had a partnership in excess of 36 against India in Test cricket till Latham-Blundell in Christchurch since Marcus Harris and Usman Khawaja pair’s the 72-run partnership during the last year’s Sydney Test.

Pujara’s first in New Zealand:

54 – The 54-run knock in Christchurch is Cheteshwar Pujara’s maiden Test fifty on New Zealand soil. His previous highest score in New Zealand across three Tests was only 23. Pujara batted in six Test innings before this match in New Zealand scoring 82 runs at a batting average of 13.67.

An expensive spell from Boult:

5.23 – Trent Boult’s economy rate of 5.23 during his 17-2-89-2 in India’s first innings is the 2nd worst for a New Zealand bowler in the opening innings of a home Test match. (Min: 100 balls) Dennis Smith conceded runs at an economy of 5.65 during his 20-0-113-1 against England in the opening innings of the 1933 Christchurch Test.