Henry & O'Rourke spark astonishing day for Black Caps

By Kris Shannon

Tom Latham’s first call as fulltime captain was wrong. As a result, almost everything that happened next went right.

After losing the toss and being asked to bowl in the opening test in Bengaluru, the Black Caps’ rampant quicks rolled India for 46, their lowest total at home in test history.

Devon Conway (91) then lifted the tourists to 180-3 at stumps, leading by 134 with a significant step taken towards a first victory in India since 1988.

It added up to an astonishing day for a team who had lost their last four tests, shrugging off form, injury and unrest to dismantle the leaders of the World Test Championship.

New Zealand’s chances in that competition essentially slipped away last month in Sri Lanka, a series that led to Southee resigning the captaincy. Latham was promoted and, after being denied his wish to bat first, made leadership look easy.

In fairness, with the way Matt Henry and Will O’Rourke proceeded to bowl, it mattered little who had been monitoring the flip of a coin.

With conditions more befitting a grey first morning at Hagley Oval, Henry in particular was right at home. The Cantabrian exploited the assistance available by delivering each ball with unerring accuracy, beating bats and inducing false shots to record 5-15 in 13.2 overs.

Such effectiveness was a continuation of the success Henry enjoyed last summer and surely cemented his place for the rest of this three-match series, having been left on the sidelines during the 2-0 defeat by Sri Lanka.

O’Rourke (4-22) proved an ideal partner, matching Henry’s lateral movement with the bounce that in five tests has emerged as a deadly weapon, while Southee began the rout before ceding the spotlight to two stars.

Playing three seamers could have been risky while the hosts opted for a spin trio. Instead, the innings was the first time all 10 wickets were claimed by visiting pacers in India since Southee’s career-best 7-64 inspired the feat at the same venue 12 years ago.

That match was eventually lost. This – with three days remaining following a soggy start – seems headed in the opposite direction.

The weather in Bengaluru created a perfect storm for the Black Caps, the pitch tacky from its time under the covers and overhead clouds offering plenty of swing. Then, the sun emerged alongside New Zealand’s batters and life in the middle became much less perilous.

But the tourists deserved the grip they seized on the match, capitalising on their luck with a skilful showing in all three facets.

After a few dire efforts in recent tests, the fielding was almost flawless, as four different players took terrific catches to nullify a shocking drop from Tom Blundell. And Henry might have snagged the best of the bunch, his rest period at fine leg interrupted by a rapid sprint to complete a sprawling low grab.

A few overs later, the 32-year-old ended the innings by claiming his 100th career scalp. The total of 46 was India’s third-lowest in any country, the lowest scored against New Zealand, and the lowest by any team batting in Asia.

Five of the hosts’ top eight were removed for ducks – including Virat Kohli, a memorable maiden wicket in India for O’Rourke – while 76 balls were required to collect a first boundary. New Zealand, thanks to their skipper, needed only one.

Latham never convinced, though, granted a life on seven when KL Rahul and Kohli watched his edge fly through the slip corden, before being trapped by Kuldeep Yadav. Conway, conversely, batted better than he had in almost two years.

While he did end a half-century drought last month, that came in a lost cause against Sri Lanka. This innings was sparked by a textbook cover drive off Jasprit Bumrah, the top-ranked bowler in the world, and continued with equal aplomb.

Conway raced past 50 by coming down the track to Ravichandran Ashwin and cracking his second of three sixes, scoring freely off the fearsome spinner while conditions rewarded such an approach.

Ashwin would secure revenge and deny Conway a hundred his efforts had earned, but Rachin Ravindra (22no) and Daryl Mitchell (14no) ensured the Black Caps would not be denied indisputable day-two honours.

This article was first published on nzherald.co.nz and is republished here with permission