IND vs NZ: How Shubman Gill's absence had a ripple effect on India's batting order vs New Zealand

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Shubman Gill was not in cricketing action for the first Test between India and New Zealand at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. His absence triggered India's batting collapse during the first Test.

The 25-year-old opener was ruled out due to a stiff neck, which kept him from participating in the match. He didn't warm up on Day 2. As a result, India had to make some significant changes to their batting lineup.

Gill's absence had a ripple effect on India's batting order. The regular opener- Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rohit Sharma were dismissed for 13 and 2. After the opening collapse, the Indian team failed to steady the ship.

Indian batters fall prey to New Zealand's exceptional bowling masterclass

The reshuffling of the batting order and the lack of stability at the top of the lineup left the team's middle and lower order vulnerable. The hosts were forced to shuffle their lineup which disrupted the usual roles and the rhythm. The decision to promote Virat Kohli up the order to No. 3 backfired as well.

The last time Kohli batted at one down was in 2016 against West Indies in Gros Islet. His lack of recent experience in that role was witnessed as he was dismissed for a duck courtesy of William O'Rourke's brilliant ball. Kohli's dismissal put further pressure on the rest of the batting lineup.

Sarfaraz Khan, who stepped into the playing XI in place of Gill, was promoted to bat at No. 4. However, his inexperience at this level was evident as he was dismissed for a three-ball duck, falling to a delivery from Matt Henry. With two key wickets down for no runs, the Indian batting order began to crumble.

The early dismissals of Kohli and Sarfaraz exposed India's middle order to a hostile New Zealand bowling attack. The pressure mounted, leading to a series of dismissals. KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, and Ravichandran Ashwin were all sent back to the pavilion without scoring, leaving India in a precarious situation.

New Zealand bowlers made use of the conditions to great effect as they exposed the batters’ frailties on Day 2 of the Bengaluru Test. William ORourke and Matt Henry gave the Indians a run for their money, courtesy of their subtle bowling variations of line and length.

William got rid of Yashasvi Jaiswal (13), Virat Kohli (0), and KL Rahul (0) whereas Matt Henry dismissed Sarfaraz Khan (0), Rishabh Pant (20), Ravindra Jadeja (0) and Ravichandran Ashwin (0). Tim Southee got rid of Indian captain Rohit Sharma (2).