India beat New Zealand in 2nd Test, win series 1-0
India claimed a one-sided victory over New Zealand at Wankhede to win the two-match Test series 1-0. The hosts successfully defended 539, bowling out the Kiwis on 167. Despite being on the losing side, Ajaz Patel remained the standout performer. He became only the third bowler to take all 10 wickets in a Test innings. Besides, Mayank Agarwal garnered praise for his scintillating hundred.
India racked up 325 in the first innings, with Mayank anchoring the innings. He fired his fourth Test ton. Meanwhile, Ajaz scripted history by taking all 10 wickets. New Zealand were bundled out for mere 62. Off-spinner R Ashwin took four wickets. In the second innings, India declared on 276/7. Once again, Ajaz was impressive. Chasing 540, the Black Caps perished on 167.
India beat New Zealand by a mammoth 372 runs, their biggest Test win by runs. India's previous biggest victory came against South Africa in 2015. They beat the Proteas by 337 runs at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.
India have won their 14th successive Test series at home. They haven't lost a home Test series since 2012/13 when England defeated them 2-1. Notably, India are yet to lose a Test series under Virat Kohli. Kohli has lost just two Tests while leading Team India. He has won his 24th Test as captain at home (39th win overall).
India have ended New Zealand's unbeaten streak in Test cricket. Before this Test, the Kiwis were unbeaten in the format since January 2020. The WTC champions won eight and drew two Test matches in this period (defeated India thrice).
Although NZ lost the Test, left-arm spinner Ajaz shattered multiple records. He became only the third bowler in Test history to have taken all 10 wickets in an innings. England's Jim Laker was the first bowler to do so. The former off-spinner recorded figures of 10/53 against Australia in 1956. The legendary leg-spinner Anil Kumble achieved this feat in 1999 (10/74 vs Pakistan, Delhi).
Ajaz recorded astonishing figures of 10/119 in the first innings. The left-arm spinner now has the best innings bowling figures by a New Zealand bowler in Test cricket. He broke the record of former NZ bowler Sir Richard Hadlee, who took 9/52 against Australia in 1985. Overall, Ajaz has the third-best innings figures after Laker (10/53) and Kumble (10/74).
Ajaz scalped four wickets (106 runs) in the second innings. He extended his tally of wickets in the Test to 14. He registered has the best match bowling figures (Tests) by a bowler against India (14/225). He also recorded the best bowling figures by a visiting bowler in India. Ajaz broke the record of Sir Ian Botham, who took 13/106 in 1980 in Mumbai.
Ashwin snapped up eight wickets in the match. He became the first bowler to complete 50 Test wickets in 2021. He now has 52 wickets from just eight Tests at an incredible average of 16.23. Ashwin (426) also surpassed Shaun Pollock (421) in terms of Test wickets. The former has become only the second Indian after Kumble to take 300 Test wickets at home.
Mayank raced to his fifth Test half-century in the second innings (62). He had slammed his fourth Test ton in the first innings (150). He recorded his third score of 150 or more in Tests. Mayank has become the fourth Indian opener with two fifty-plus scores in a Test at Wankhede. He now has the third-most 150-plus Test scores in India among Indian openers.
Kohli was dismissed without scoring in the first innings. He now has the joint-second-most ducks (10) by a captain in Tests, with Graeme Smith. Kohli now has the joint-most ducks (4) by an Indian captain in a calendar year with Bishan Bedi (1976), Kapil Dev (1983), and MS Dhoni (2011). The former also has the most ducks at home among Indian captains (6).
NZ were bundled out for 62 in the first innings, their lowest Test total against India (also the lowest Test total by any team in India). The Test series saw a total of four captains, the joint-most in a two-match series (SA vs ENG, 1889). Off-spinner Jayant Yadav took four wickets in the fourth innings, claiming his career-best figures in Tests (4/49).
