Rohit Sharma-led Team India will need to make an extensive effort to deny New Zealand a victory on Day 5 of the 1st Test at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. The Men in Blue will have to match their lowest defending total of 107 runs in the fourth innings to win the clash. The good news for Indian fans, though, is that this team doesn’t seem to know how to back down from tough situations and consistently pulls off counterattacking efforts, no matter the circumstances.
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The 107-run total set by India is not one they would have hoped for, given the platform laid down by Sarfaraz Khan (150), Rishabh Pant (99), and Virat Kohli (70). However, it is a fighting chance that captain Rohit Sharma would have embraced wholeheartedly after his team was bowled out for their second-lowest Test total of 46 in the first innings of the same match.
Lowest total defended by India in fourth innings:
107 against Australia in 2004 (Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai)
143 against Australia in 1981 (Melbourne Cricket Ground)
170 against south Africa in 1996 (Sardar Patel Stadium, Ahmedabad)
188 against New Zealand in 1969 (Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai)
188 vs Australia in 2017 (M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru)
Sarfaraz Khan sends message to Kiwis:
However, despite the low total, newly minted Indian batter Sarfaraz Khan feels that the match isn’t lost yet and they have a decent chance of winning the game still.
Speaking at the post-day press conference, Sarfaraz said, “First of all, this is not an easy wicket, and I believe the game is not lost yet…The ball is moving nicely, so if we can secure a couple of quick wickets, we could trigger a collapse.”
Meanwhile, Sarfaraz also talked about what he was discussing with his batting partner Rishabh Pant, stating, “Some time ago, we played a Duleep Trophy match here where we had to counterattack in the second innings. We found ourselves in a similar situation, needing to set a target for the opposition. So we talked about applying the same strategy and attacking like we did in that match.”
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