India played her 500th Test match at the Green Park in Kanpur against an enterprising New Zealand side in the first of a three-match Test series. In an intriguing and hard fought battle, the home team emerged winners by 197 runs.
The margin of victory, though, does not do justice to the intensity of battle over the 14 sessions. The mere fact that New Zealand took the match to the final day, albeit due to a rain delay on day 2, speaks volumes of their ability to dig in and be resilient in the face of adversity.
Both teams had named strong playing XIs. Virat Kohli won the toss and elected to bat, as was expected. His trusted batsmen, Murali Vijay and Cheteshwar Pujara, scored half-centuries that helped the team get to a respectable total of 318.
In reply, after a Ravindra Jadeja five-for, the visitors were bundled out for 258. In the second innings, India added a further 377 to set an almost unassailable target of 434 for victory. Once Ravichandran Ashwin had dismissed Kane Williamson for the second time in the match, the Kiwis were always staring down the barrel.
Inspired performances from Luke Ronchi and Mitchell Santner helped stretch the game, but the result was inevitable and India ran out winners by a large margin.
Here’s a look at the most consistent players from the match, including Ravichandran Ashwin, the Jana Bankable Player of the match:
#5 Murali Vijay
1st innings: 65 (170)
2nd innings: 76 (170)
The Chennai-born opening batsman made his return from injury, forming a new opening partnership at the top with KL Rahul and immediately made his mark. In both innings, he displayed traits of his game that have made him so dependable over the years. He was solid in defence, showing never-wavering discipline and put the bad balls away.
He was the perfect foil at the top, as his partner at the other end was scoring runs at a quicker rate. He never looked like throwing his wicket away and ensured that his team posted a significant total before he lost his wicket.
Vijay recorded a 100-run partnership in both the innings and even rolled his arm over when he was required to by his skipper. All in all, a top-class performance, setting the tone for the rest of the team.
#4 Cheteshwar Pujara
1st innings: 62 (109)
2nd innings: 78 (152)
While the likes of Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma are often scrutinised and are required to perform under pressure, Cheteshwar Pujara would have felt that he too, had something to prove.
Having lost his place in the squad a couple of years ago, he was yet to truly establish himself in the playing XI again.
He came into the Test series after two sensational knocks in the Duleep Trophy and carried on from where he had left off. Often criticised for scoring runs at a paltry rate, Pujara displayed a new-found aggression in his game as he formed two 100-run partnerships with Murali Vijay.
Coming in at the crucial #3 position, he ensured that the ship was steadied after the loss of a wicket.
#3 Mitchell Santner
1st innings: Batting – 32 (107), Bowling – 3/94
2nd innings: Batting – 71 (179), Bowling – 2/79
The young 24-year-old was the shining light for New Zealand in the first Test at Kanpur. His performance evoked memories of Kiwi legend Daniel Vettori as he was effective with the bat and ball against India. Playing in only his 8th Test, he displayed maturity beyond his years to help his team’s cause.
In the first innings, he took the wickets of KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara and Rohit Sharma to keep the Indians at bay. With the bat, he added 32 runs, coming in at #6.
He was even more impressive in the second innings. While he only managed two wickets, his innings of 71 runs was a stout display of resilience and was incredible to watch.
The Indians will now be wary of him in the next couple of Tests. Definitely, one to look out for.
#2 Ravindra Jadeja
1st innings: Batting – 42 (44), Bowling – 5/73
2nd innings: Batting – 50 (58), Bowling – 1/58
Much was made of India’s playing combination ahead of the first Test. The Saurashtra cricketer had done enough in the Duleep Trophy to earn the faith of his captain for the first Test and he went out of his way to repay the faith put in him.
His quickfire 42 in the first innings proved to be the difference between the two teams at the halfway stage. With the ball, he ripped apart the New Zealand batting order with a five-for.
In the second innings, he scored only his second half-century in Test cricket and marked the occasion with an exuberant celebration. With the ball, he was incredibly tidy, stemming the flow of runs almost completely, as he bowled an incredible 17 maidens in his 34 overs.
He has cemented his place in the squad and his was a truly world class all-round performance, and he was deservedly declared the Man of the Match.
#1 Ravichandran Ashwin – Jana Bankable Player of the match
1st innings: Batting – 40(76), Bowling - 4/93
2nd innings: Bowling – 6/132
It was a historic occasion for Ravichandran Ashwin as he put in a performance for the ages at Kanpur. The off-spinner, now the second quickest to amass 200 Test wickets, paid tribute to India’s legendary spinners of the past to mark the country’s 500th Test with a special performance.
His ten-for completely derailed the Kiwi batsmen as they had no answer to his trickery. He scored 40 runs in the first innings. Such has been his all-round form that he might even consider that a disappointment. With the ball, he picked up 4 wickets, including those of Williamson and Santner.
In the second innings, he came into his own and was nearly unplayable throughout. His 6 wickets ensured that the Kiwis could not build a single partnership of note and it was only justified that he picked up the wicket that gave India the win.
Ashwin’s consistency shone through a very tight match, and his ability to chip in with key contributions in both innings, with both bat and ball, saw him win the Jana Bankable Player award.
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