KANPUR: India defeated New Zealand by 197 runs to win the historic 500th Test at Green Park in Kanpur. After reducing the Kiwis to 205-7 at lunch, India claimed the three remaining wickets to clinch the opening Test on the fifth day here.
After setting the Kiwis a rather improbable target of 434, the Indian bowlers, especially senior off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin (6/132), revelled in home conditions to rip through the visiting team’s line-up with more than a session to spare.
Beginning the day at a precarious 93 for four, overnight New Zealand batsmen Luke Ronchi (80) and Mitchell Santner (71) frustrated the Indian bowlers for only about 20 overs by adding 65 runs in the morning session but that only delayed the inevitable. The Black Caps raised hopes of a fight till the time Ronchi and Santner held fort but it all went downhill for them when the former played an extravagant slog sweep off Ravindra Jadeja, handing India the opening. Ashwin (6/132) completed his fifth six-wicket haul by adding scalps of Santner and Ish Sodhi (17) and Neil Wagner (0) to his three wickets grabbed yesterday when he had become the second-fastest man to take 200-Test wickets. Jadeja took one wicket today while Mohammed Shami, who got some reverse swing, scalped two batsmen in the morning session. Brief Score: India 1st innings: 318 New Zealand 1st innings: 262 India 2nd innings: 377-5 declared New Zealand 2nd innings: 236 all out in 87.3 overs (L Ronchi 80, MJ Santner 71; R Ashwin 6/132, Mohammed Shami 2/18).—PTI
