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India paid the price for getting all out for 46 in the first innings of the IND vs NZ 1st Test at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, their lowest-ever total at home, despite special efforts from Sarfaraz Khan (150) and Rishabh Pant (99) in the second essay.
New Zealand`s Rachin Ravindra was regal in both innings as he nullified India`s ace spinners with ease and guided his side to their first Test win in India since 1988.
It was India`s second home Test defeat this year. England won the opener of a five-match series in January but India won the next four.
While the Men in Blue remain at the top of the standings, Sunday`s defeat has somewhat weakened their hold on a place in next year`s final, as their percentage drops to 68.06% ahead of two more Tests against New Zealand and a five-match series with Australia at the end of the year.
Australia and Sri Lanka are currently India`s closest challengers in the standings, with the Pat Cummins` side in second place at 62.50%, and the island nation narrowly behind at 55.56% following their recent series sweep over New Zealand.
Also Read: New Zealand revels in a `golden 48 hours` of sporting glory
Meanwhile, in a recently surfaced clip, KL Rahul was seen bowing to the pitch and touching it after the match concluded on Sunday afternoon. This poignant act led many fans to speculate whether it could be his last appearance in Test cricket.
Below are some reactions from X.
Once he used to be :
`India`s first 360° batter`
`India`s upcoming best batter`
`India`s pressure soaker`
`Best SENA batter`
Rahul, what has happened to you?
This is not the KL Rahul we know 💔😣#INDvNZpic.twitter.com/fO89nHCrlg
— Atharv Shukla (@Atharb_) October 19, 2024
Kl Rahul scored century in south Africa when india 🇮🇳 are 107/5 in tough conditions 🙏.
7 Away centuries, but people say he is an ordinary player 🙏.
This is slap on the hatters ✅. #INDvsNZ | #KLRahul | #RishabhPant pic.twitter.com/m0kwG5Dxrg
— Lord Kl Rahul 🇮🇳 (@temba214) October 19, 2024
Management has informed KL Rahul that it was his last international test match for India.
KL Rahul touches the pitch after the match. pic.twitter.com/lsphMkJ3mH
— Ctrl C Ctrl Memes (@Ctrlmemes_) October 20, 2024
He touches pitch because it is his home ground,samjhe .
— Yuvraj Pandey (@pandey_yuvrajuv) October 20, 2024
It seems KL has realized that his chances of returning to the Test team are slim. Why do I say this?
Sarfaraz Khan has proven himself and secured his place, and with Gill set to be fit for the next match, KL`s time may be up. I don`t expect to see him again in this lineup.
— Shocking Viral News (@shockingviral24) October 20, 2024
Being his last test he kept the soil
— Anirban (@Anirban37699026) October 20, 2024
The venue holds particular significance for Rahul, who played at Chinnaswamy Stadium as part of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru from 2013 to 2016 in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and has also represented Karnataka in domestic cricket.
Regrettably, his performance in the Bengaluru Test was underwhelming, as he managed scores of 0 and 12 across the two innings.
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