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New Zealand beat India by 113 runs in the second Test played at MCA Stadium to win back-to-back matches and seal first ever Test series win in India.
New Zealand beat India in the 2nd Test on Saturday to seal its first ever Test series win in India. (Picture Credit: AP)
New Zealand beat India by 113 runs in the second Test of the ongoing three-match series played at Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) Stadium in Pune on Saturday (October 26) to win back-to-back matches for the first time on Indian soil. The win in the second Test also ended New Zealand’s 69-year-long wait for a first-ever Test series win in India.
India and New Zealand first played a Test series during the 1955–56 season, but the Kiwis never managed to win a series on Indian soil.
All-rounder Mitchell Santner played a big role in New Zealand’s win in the second Test by taking a total of 13 wickets in the match. He dismissed seven Indian batters for 53 runs in the first inning and accounted for the dismissal of six batters in the second.
Yashasvi Jaiswal top-scored for India in the second inning by making 77 runs from 65 balls, but his effort was not enough to prevent India from a second straight defeat.
New Zealand, which came into the series after losing the last four Tests, won the series opener in Bengaluru by eight wickets on October 20. The series win over India is one of the biggest achievements for the Kiwi side, which played the first two matches in the absence of Kane Williamson.
Williamson, who is New Zealand’s all-time leading run scorer in Tests, is part of the Test squad but is yet to arrive in India.
Before winning the back-to-back matches in October 2024, New Zealand’s last Test win in India was way back in November 1988 under John Wright’s captaincy.
The series defeat against New Zealand has also ended India’s winning streak in Tests at home. India last lost a Test series in front of home fans against England in 2012.
Despite losing the first two Tests, India has maintained No. 1 position in the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 points table but now has to win four of the remaining six matches in the ongoing cycle to be absolutely sure of a place in the WTC final at Lord’s in June 2025.
The third Test between India and New Zealand is scheduled to take place at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai from November 1 to 5, and then the Rohit Sharma-led side will travel to Australia for a five-match Test series.
