India suffered a shocking defeat by 8 wickets against New Zealand on Sunday (October 20) in the first Test of the ongoing three-match series played at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. The hosts failed to defend the target of 107 runs on the fifth and final day. The defeat in the series opener is only the third time in history that India has lost a Test match against the Black Caps in India.
The last time New Zealand won a Test match in India was way back in 1988, when John Wright was the captain of the Kiwis.
Despite the defeat in the series opener, India has managed to retain the No. 1 position in the World Test Championship 2023-25 points table. India has 68.06 PCT%.
2023 WTC champions Australia is in 2nd place with 62.50 PCT%, and they are followed by Sri Lanka (55.56 PCT%).
The historic win over India has lifted New Zealand to No. 4 position. They have 44.44 PCT%.
England, which suffered a defeat in the 2nd Test against Pakistan in Multan, has now dropped to No. 5 position with 43.06 PCT% and is followed by South Africa (38.89 PCT%), Bangladesh (34.48%), Pakistan (25.93 PCT%), and the West Indies (18.52 PCT%).
The defeat in the series opener has dented India’s hopes of qualifying for the WTC 2025 final, which is scheduled to take place at the Lord’s next year.
India now has to win four of the remaining seven Tests in the ongoing WTC cycle to be absolutely sure of finishing in the top two. Apart from winning the matches, India also can’t afford to drop points due to a slow overrate.
India has never lost a Test series at home against New Zealand, and the Rohit Sharma-led side will be eager to bounce back and keep the series alive by winning the second match in Pune. The second Test is scheduled to take place at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium from October 24 onwards, and the final match will be played from November 1 to 5 at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
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