Will O'Rourke blows away Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal; India recorded an embarrassing first 55 at 34/6

The New Zealand fast bowlers, led by the relentless Will O'Rourke (3/13), took full advantage of the overcast conditions to brush aside a struggling Indian batting line-up, leaving them on a dismal 34 at lunchtime on the second day for six back of the opening Test on Thursday. Rishabh Pant (15 off 41 balls) had to bat after Ravindra Jadeja (0) was dismissed just before the break. The first day's game was washed out due to rain.

Will O'Rourke, Henry and Southee left India with an embarrassing 55th anniversary. 34 was the lowest for India in the fall of the 6th wicket at home since 1969. The previous lowest was 27 runs against New Zealand in Hyderabad.

As the rain eased, Indian captain Rohit Sharma decided to bat under the dense gray sky but his team struggled. Rohit himself was the first to go, falling to just 2 after 15 balls as he went for an aggressive attack, but Tim Southee's sharp delivery brought him to a halt.

India's batters fail

Before we delve into the problems faced by the Indian batsmen, it is important to mention Matt Henry's impressive opening spell, which caused significant problems for the Indian line-up. Opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, who tried to counter the momentum by positioning himself out of the crease, suffered numerous near misses against Henry. Despite a few moments of uncertainty, the left-handed Jaiswal showed the courage to stay in the crease.

Virat Kohli, batting at an unusual No. 3, was quickly dismissed after nine balls. New Zealand captain Tom Latham introduced Will O'Rourke, who wasted no time in catching Kohli, whose attempted push on a rising throw deflected off his gloves to Glenn Phillips at leg gully.

Sarfaraz Khan, who came in for the injured Shubman Gill, was aggressive from the start but paid the price. On his third ball he tried to hit Henry over the halfway line but was spectacularly intercepted by Devon Conway, which made Henry laugh.

At 10 for 3, India's situation was precarious and they needed a significant boost. A brief rain delay from 10:27 a.m. to 11:05 a.m. appeared to help India regain some calm. Pant, who had been dropped on 7 by wicketkeeper Tom Blundell off O'Rourke, finally secured India's first boundary of the day with a well-executed cover drive in the fifth ball of the 12th over.

However, Jaiswal's cautious innings ended without reward as he was denied by O'Rourke and Ajaz Patel completed a brilliant catch at point with a powerful cut shot. Dismissals of KL Rahul (0), who was caught by Blundell on the leg side of O'Rourke, and Jadeja pushed India further into the corner, allowing Pant to make a rescue attempt in the second session.