India vs New Zealand: ‘India got bogged down, not how they play’ - Former Pakistan captain on why India lost 1st Test

The performance of the batting unit in the second innings when the pitch settled down and when the sun was in its full glory left a lot to be desired.

India conceded the first Test match to New Zealand in Wellington by 10 wickets and it was a match where nothing went according to plan for the visitors. Kohli lost the toss and his side was asked to bat first under cloudy skies and on a green pitch on Day 1. Against Trent Boult, Tim Southee and Kyle Jamieson this was never going to be an easy task as the Indian batting was blown away for 165 runs.

Virat Kohli of India leads his team off the field(Getty Images)

However, the performance of the batting unit in the second innings when the pitch settled down and when the sun was in its full glory left a lot to be desired. Only Mayank Agarwal and Ajinkya Rahane looked like being positive and the rest of the batsmen got bogged down and allowed New Zealand to bowl according to their plans. According to former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif, this was one of the reasons why India were blown away in the match.

“ India’s record in overseas conditions is not too good. India did not play their natural game, they were bogged down in both the innings. This is not how India play, when you leave so many boundary balls and keep leaving balls, there will be one ball with your name on it,” Rashid said on his YouTube channel.

“India should have attacked in their first innings, batting disappointed but bowling was also disappointing. Umesh Yadav would have succeeded here, Bumrah and Shami kept targeting stumps. In Test cricket, especially when conditions are conducive to seam and swing, you have to target outside the off stump and get the batsmen driving,” he further added.

Speaking after the match, Indian captain Virat Kohli confessed that it had been a tough match for the side and they will now learn from the mistakes and march on for the second India vs New Zealand match in Christchurch.

“I think overall we really did put in a good effort but we still could be a lot more disciplined. That’s something the bowlers have recognised themselves. That’s not something that needs to be pointed out to them anymore. They were not as happy with their bowling performance as they would have been otherwise. That can happen in this game at the international level, but it’s about how we learn from it and how we bounce back,” Kohli said after the match.