New Zealand gained an upper hand on the first day of the India’s 500th Test at Kanpur. Indian skipper Virat Kohli won a good toss and decided to bat first on a Kanpur pitch that was looking idol for batting. And the batsman justified his decision with a good performance early on. Murali Vijay and KL Rahul started brightly and added 42 runs for the first wicket. Rahul was looking particularly impressive during his knock of 32. After his dismissal, Cheteshwar Pujara came to the crease and steadied the ship with a 112-run partnership with Vijay. But just when the two were looking to take India to a strong position, Pujara was dismissed for 62. Looking to drive a fuller delivery from Mitchell Santner, he failed to keep the shot grounded and gave an easy catch to the bowler.
Sensing an opportunity, the visitors tightened their screws and dismissed the next three Indian batsmen for only 55 runs. But a 52-run partnership between Rohit Sharma and R Ashwin rescued the hosts. However, the New Zealand bowlers struck once again and dismissed four Indian batsmen. India finished the day on 291 for 9.
Here is how the Twitterati reacted:
#500thTest a historic moment fr cricket lovers #indvsnz began w/ national anthem in the presence of cricket legends. pic.twitter.com/4WJKzKIVh6
— Anurag Thakur (@ianuragthakur) September 22, 2016
Virat Kohli since his 200 in Antigua
60 runs in 4 innings#IndvNZ#500thTest#India500— Mohandas Menon (@mohanstatsman) September 22, 2016
NZ cricket fans on this bowling effort on the first day of the test in India #INDvsNZ pic.twitter.com/Whmv7mCIk1
— Sanjay Patel (@spat106) September 22, 2016
Ashwin is now the leading run scorer as well as leading wicket taker for India in 2016!!!#indvsnz
— Ajay Srinivasan (@Ajaychairman) September 22, 2016
Santner into the attack. Picks Che Pu.
Wagner into the attack. Picks Virat.
Sodhi into the attack. Picks Vijay.Kane, you genius! #IndvsNZ
— Srini Mama (@SriniMama16) September 22, 2016
This is what I like about this NZ #Blackcaps team #indvsnz they epitomise effort and hard work. Well done Wagner! pic.twitter.com/gcv1vT3Mqc
— Michael Dineen (@mjdineen) September 22, 2016
India's middle order has fully justified Kohli's decision to play the extra batsman. #cricket #500thTest #INDvNZ
— Anand Vasu (@anandvasu) September 22, 2016
https://twitter.com/PrincePulical/status/778914949636710400
Rohit Sharma ji Bahut sharma jaate hain test match main. Kya hua beta? Kisi ne koch bola kya?
— भारत First! ?? (@TheBakarFactory) September 22, 2016
Only thing India can be proud after this historic day is that talent God Rohit Sharma graced the pitch with his talent #500thTest #indvsnz
— Rahul (@anpadhCS) September 22, 2016
Excellent @BLACKCAPS display with hosts 291-9 #indvsnz. Astute captaincy; tenacious bowling; sound glovework; composure sub-lid around bat.
— Andrew Alderson (@aldersonnotes) September 22, 2016
https://twitter.com/xFairytaleDivax/status/778915188191981569
Rohit Sharma 35….give him another Arjuna award
— Prateek1385 (@Prateek1385) September 22, 2016
Rohit Sharma and his temperament in Tests. #INDvNZ pic.twitter.com/l4TuyNknYm
— Sameer Allana (@HitmanCricket) September 22, 2016
Hello @BCCI this is our dream team for #500thTest ?? ????
Rohit Sharma , Dhawan , Saha ALL INFORM BATSMEN ?
&
Only Gambhir is OUT OF FORM— Chandra Mouli ? (@IamChandraM) September 22, 2016
https://twitter.com/alokpi/status/778878471640526848
Cricket tips:
1. Stick to TV when Virat Kohli bats.
2. Stick to Twitter when Rohit Sharma gets out. #INDvNZ— Chiggy Viggy (@IdlySambhar) September 22, 2016
Thought hard for 4-5 min… and I actually dont have anything to say on that dismissal. Kuchh ni ho sakta iska… #RohitSharma #IndvNZ
— Chetan Narula (@chetannarula) September 22, 2016