The thrilling finish to India vs New Zealand first Test in Kanpur has sent the cricketing world into a frenzy, especially players from Australia. After Shane Warne and Glenn Maxwell had their say on the brilliant ending to the Kanpur game, opener David Warner seemed blown away by the result. Highlighting the thrilling finish of the match, Warner highlighted the beauty of Test cricket.
"How good is Test cricket!! 5 days, tough cricket played by both teams and it ends in a draw. That’s why we love it. Can't wait for the 2nd test in Mumbai. #india #newzealand I can't wait for the Ashes!!," Warner tweeted.
The Kanpur Test witnessed India and New Zealand involved in a back-and-forth battle, with one team getting on top of the other through various courses of the day. Debutant Shreyas Iyer had a brilliant start to his Test career scoring a century in the first innings, followed by the fifty in the second, whereas Ravindra Jadeja struck a half-century as well. For New Zealand, after Tim Southee picked up a five-wicket-haul, it was batter Tom Latham's turn to register twin fifties in the match.
{{/usCountry}}The Kanpur Test witnessed India and New Zealand involved in a back-and-forth battle, with one team getting on top of the other through various courses of the day. Debutant Shreyas Iyer had a brilliant start to his Test career scoring a century in the first innings, followed by the fifty in the second, whereas Ravindra Jadeja struck a half-century as well. For New Zealand, after Tim Southee picked up a five-wicket-haul, it was batter Tom Latham's turn to register twin fifties in the match.
{{/usCountry}}With India setting New Zealand a target of 284 to win, they had the visitors on the mat early dismissing opener Will Young for 2. However, on the final day, New Zealand played out a spotless morning session without losing a wicket, before India came back strong in the second and third bagging eight wickets. With New Zealand out of contention for a win, their last wicket pair of Rachin Ravindra and Ajaz Patel held on for a draw by safely negotiating the final 52 balls of the day.
The outcome of the match was acknowledged by Warner’s Australia teammate Glenn Maxwell, who tweeted: "Anyone else watching #INDvsNZ? How good's test cricket?"
The Test match acts as the perfect tonic for Australia to warm-up for the Ashes, where Warner is expected to a big factor for the team. Having endured a poor Ashes 2019, in which Warner scored only 95 runs in five innings, the left-handed batter would have a point to prove as Australia look to defend the urn.