On Sunday (October 20), India suffered their first home defeat to New Zealand in 36 years as they were defeated by eight wickets in Bengaluru. Here's what we learnt from the first Test of the three-match series.
NZ have found two superstars in Ravindra and O'Rourke
New Zealand's win was set up by two of the younger players in their XI – batter Rachin Ravindra and pace bowler Will O'Rourke.
While Matt Henry took much of the plaudits for the first innings which saw India skittled for 46, the 23-year-old O'Rourke continued where he had left off in Sri Lanka by dismissing Virat Kohli and KL Rahul, and causing real discomfort for the Indian batters. In the second innings, he smashed through India's middle-order to crush hopes of a comeback, getting rid of Rahul with a peach, as well as Rishabh Pant for 99 and Ravindra Jadeja for five.
With his ability to extract steep bounce and move the ball sideways off the seam, New Zealand seem to have found their Kyle Jamieson, Mark II. It might not be long before we even see these two bowl in tandem.
Also read: Updated World Test Championship standings after India's defeat against New Zealand in Bengaluru
Rachin Ravindra's star also continued to grow as he returned to his paternal home. The 24-year-old scored a stunning century in the first innings, counter-attacking India's much-celebrated spin trio and batting with aplomb with the tail. He looked a cut above many of his more senior teammates, and even returned in the second innings to take New Zealand over the line at a time when the chase could potentially have gotten dicey.
Ravindra's ability to use his feet against spin, and look more than comfortable in subcontinent conditions is a massive boost to a New Zealand side which doesn't have many natural players of spin. He will be vital if the Kiwis are to pull off a stunning upset series win in the next two Tests.
Is Ashwin losing steam?
It's always a dangerous proposition to suggest that someone of Ravichandran Ashwin's calibre and experience might be on the decline, but he was quite a way off his best in this Test match.
Conditions in Bengaluru were certainly more favourable to pace bowling, with only the odd ball turning. Ashwin got the wicket of Devon Conway in the first innings, a dismissal that was perhaps more down to the opener's ill-advised reverse sweep. The rest of the innings, he came in for some harsh punishment from Ravindra and Tim Southee, conceding at nearly a run-a-ball.
To top that, he was curiosuly not given the ball till the 24th over of New Zealand's chase in the fouth innings, which eventually finished in 27.4 overs. Whether it was the first-innings hammering that had dented the skipper's confidence in Ashwin or he was carrying a niggle, is not clear. Nonetheless, it was puzzling to see the veteran of 528 Test wickets not getting a chance to impact the game towards the end.
One poor innings doesn't define Ashwin, and he may well hit back in the next two Tests. But at 38 years old, he can ill-afford too many more of these performances from a personal point of view.
Watch: KKR all-rounder takes 'greatest catch ever' contender against Pakistan in Emerging Teams Asia Cup
Siraj hasn't inspired enough confidence as the second seamer
Mohammed Siraj's position in India's Test setup is an interesting one. When India play three quicks, he appears to slot in quite well as part of the group. But when he is one of two, like in Bengaluru, the pace attack can start to look a little less ruthless. This looks more clear-cut when the pitch is slightly flatter, as it was for a few spells in the second innings.
Jasprit Bumrah is the undoubted number one seamer for India. On seniority, Siraj is the No.2 (in the absence of Mohammed Shami). But his tendency to blow hot and cold means he works far better when two other seamers are able to to a better job of reining in opposition batters. At his best, he can cut through a lineup but that is still a relatively rare occurrence.
India might do well to explore other options when playing a two-man pace attack. Akash Deep is still early in his Test career but has shown enough promise to be given an audition at least.
Sarfaraz moves one step closer to regular Test spot
India's logjam in the middle-order is a conundrum that Test teams across the world would love to have. Between Sarfaraz Khan, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant and Dhruv Jurel, picking two will somehow always be right – or wrong, depending on how you look at it.
But in Bengaluru, Sarfaraz well and truly put his hand up for a permanent spot in the XI. Shubman Gill's absence meant Virat Kohli moved up the order, and Sarfaraz got to bat at his usual No.4 spot. A duck in the first innings was an inauspicious start, but his 150 in the second was vital in ensuring India had at least something to play with on day five.
Also read: Virat Kohli reaches 9,000 Test runs: Who is the fastest to the landmark?
In particular, Sarfaraz went some way to assuaging fears over his ability to play high pace and bounce, finding the boundary behind the wicket almost at will off the bowling of Will O'Rourke. He may not have looked entirely comfortable, but it was promising that he was finding a way.
India now have a real decision to make for the second Test when Gill returns, and for the medium term with the Border-Gavaskar Trophy – does Sarfaraz now overtake KL Rahul in the pecking order?
India can never be counted out of a Test match at any stage
After they were bowled out for 46 on day two, it should have been curtains for India. After they conceded a 356-run lead, it should have been curtains for India. After they set New Zealand just 107 to win, it should have been curtains for India. And yet, with the two wickets on the morning of day five, it still didn't seem impossible that they could win.
India were behind the eight-ball at every stage in this Test match – and they kept coming back. It will be a matter of concern that they were repeatedly behind but given that, their repeated clawing back into the game illustrates why this side has been so hard to beat, especially at home.
Blessed not just with extraordinary ability, but the mindset to keep believing that a win is never far away, means it will always take something extraordinary to topple this Indian team over the course of a series of games.
Follow Wisden for all cricket updates, including live scores, match stats, quizzes and more. Stay up to date with the latest cricket news, player updates, team standings, match highlights, video analysis and live match odds.
