IND vs NZ 1st Test: India Bowled Out for 46: Fans Mock Historic Collapse Against New Zealand

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India experienced a nightmare at Bengaluru's M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Thursday, getting bowled out for just 46 runs in their first innings against New Zealand in the opening Test of a three-match series. This marks India's lowest total in a home Test, surpassing their previous lowest of 75 against the West Indies in 1987.

New Zealand's pace attack, led by Matt Henry (5/15) and William O'Rourke (4/22), wreaked havoc, leaving Indian batters clueless. India's innings lasted only 31.2 overs as they struggled to adapt to overcast conditions and a pitch that had been under covers for several days due to persistent rain.

Five Indian batters, including stalwarts like Virat Kohli and KL Rahul, failed to trouble the scorers, while Rishabh Pant top-scored with 20 off 49 balls. Yashasvi Jaiswal was the only other batter to reach double digits, scoring 13. The collapse began early in the first session, with Tim Southee dismissing captain Rohit Sharma for 2 runs.

O'Rourke then dismantled the middle order, removing key players such as Kohli, Rahul, and Sarfaraz Khan. Henry picked up from there, taking five wickets, including the dismissals of Pant and all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja and R. Ashwin. India added just 12 more runs after lunch, with their innings folding for 46.

This disastrous batting performance has drawn criticism from cricket experts, including former India coach Anil Kumble, who expressed concern over the lack of application shown by Indian batters. "Today was really disappointing from the Indian batting line-up. It's important to adapt to conditions, and we didn't see that from India," Kumble said.

Fans, too, voiced their frustration on social media. Many took to X (formerly Twitter) to mock the team's performance, with one user saying, "RCB's record of 49 all out broken at RCB's home ground under coach Gautam Gambhir!" Another fan remarked, "This might be the worst single day of Test cricket India has had in 50 years."

A third fan mocked Gautam Gambhir inciting what he said in the pre-match press conference ahead of the India vs New Zealand 1st Test saying, "Match se phle GG ne bola tha batsman match nahi jeetate in this era lagta humare batsman gussa hogye. [GG (Gambhir) said before the match that batsmen don't win matches in this era. I think Batsmen got angry."

India's 46 all out not only became their lowest at home but also the lowest Test score ever recorded in the subcontinent, surpassing West Indies' 53 against Pakistan in 1986. India will need to regroup quickly as they look to salvage the series after this crushing setback.