Renowned Indian cricketer and once a captain of the Indian team Virat Kohli who made a score of 70 runs in the second innings of the first Test against New Zealand is reported to have left the said city on Sunday 20th October. The 35-year-old sportsman was pictured leaving for Pune, which is set to play host to the second Test of the ongoing three-match series from 24th till 28th October 2023.
In a video clip posted on the internet, Kohli is shown with a face mask, sunglasses, and a cap, obscuring most of his face. Additionally, he was seen smiling and conversing with the ground crew while waiting to board an aircraft.
In M Chinnaswamy Stadium, where India lost to New Zealand by 8 wickets, Kohli batted at the number three position in both the innings of the first Test match. The right-hand batter could not score in the first inning but scored 70 in the second innings to take India’s score to 462 runs and set a target of 107 runs to the Kiwis in the fourth inning of the match.
Thus, New Zealand had registered their first Test win in India after twenty-four years, when they beat India in Pune on the last occasion. Rachin Ravindra was the player who started the first inning with a good century and scored 39 kookaburras in the next inning. The left-handed batter was named the Player of the Match for his batting performance.
In addition to him, the other bowlers who made news were the fast bowlers Matt Henry and William O’Rourke in the first Test against India. In the first innings, Henry took five wickets and in the second innings where he bowled only two overs, he took the wickets of three Indian batsmen. In addition, in O’Rourke’s first ever red-ball match against India, he was able to take the wickets of seven Indian batsmen (4+3).
The Indian men’s cricket team, faced with the humiliation of a crushing defeat in the first Test, will be looking to put on a huge performance and square the series in the second match. India has not lost any Test series at home against the Black Caps, and bearing in mind the upcoming five-match Test tour of Australia, India cannot afford to lose another Test series to the Black Caps.
New Zealand was without the services of star batter and former captain Kane Williamson who had a groin strain during the series opener, but it is not clear whether the 34-year-old batter will be fit to play in the second match at Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium.
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