India's star player Rishabh Pant was struck on the same knee for which he underwent surgery earlier in 2023, on Day 2 of the first Test against New Zealand at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru after which he did not wicket-keep for the rest of the match. Young Dhruv Jurel done the gloves from the behind the stumps in his place. Now after the first Test, the Indian captain has made another big remark on the injury that is making everyone believe that the management might give Pant rest for the second Test of the series.
Rohit Sharma on Rishabh Pant
Indian cricket team's captain Rohit Sharma said that Rishabh Pant was not comfortable running during the match and they've got to be extra careful with him as he had a massive operation on the same knee. Now everyone is speculating that there is a chance that management might give him rest to recover further more as there is a long red-ball season ahead.
"About his injury, he has had a massive operation on his knee. It's better to be careful. When he was batting, he wasn't comfortably running. We need to be extra careful. He has gone through a lot of trauma in the last couple of years. Not easy to keep with pain. On his innings, no one knows what goes through his mind. Only he knows it. That's the kind of freedom we need to give it to him. We just told him please understand the situation but that's Rishabh," said Rohit Sharma in the post-match presentation.
New Zealand beat India by 8 wickets
India was bowled out for their lowest-ever home score of 46 by New Zealand in the first innings and eventually sealing their first Test victory in India since 1988. Early on, the Black Caps showed dominance, replying with 402 runs before once more eliminating India for 462 in the second innings. Despite early pressure from Indian pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj, New Zealand clinched the match on the last day, requiring just 107 runs to win.
The opening innings of the game saw New Zealand's bowlers dominate, with Matt Henry and William O'Rourke spearheading an unrelenting assault that left the Indian batters struggling. On the last day, though, India's bowlers, led by Bumrah, made an effort to rally, removing Tom Latham for a duck and applying pressure to the visitors. Rachin Ravindra and Will Young of New Zealand, however, handled the tense situations to help the Black Caps win a historic game.
