Aakash Chopra was optimistic about the chances of India to defeat New Zealand in the first Test which is being played at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on October 18. The batting exhibition from India has been mediocre at best as only five players could not even score at all since they were bowled out within just over 30 overs. But Chopra believes that’s an incident.
Speaking on Colours Cineplex, he said that the Indian side would look to score in between 400 and 450 runs and highlighted that rain, which delayed the Test for a day, would not play its part by the second innings. He recalled the Test match played in 2001 between Australia and India at Eden. The team, under captaincy of Sourav Ganguly, had faced being forced to follow on after an abysmal first innings. In that match, the magic presented by Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman in the second innings led to a memorable victory of India.
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Can India Repeat The Miracle Of 2001?
There has been no better comeback story like India’s fantastic win in 2001 against Australia. Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman somehow managed to pull off the impossible with a partnership of 376 runs. Laxman scored an impressive 281, while Dravid contributed a solid 180. This unbelievable partnership propelled India towards a magnificent total of 657/7 declared with the situation being completely reversed.
“When it happened in 2001, no one had thought until then that it could happen. What happened in Kanpur, we hadn’t thought that could happen as well. This match is on. I am not dreaming as of now but it’s a possibility. The 46-run innings has passed. The wicket is going to be good. The opposition bowlers who picked up 10 wickets won’t trouble you now. That’s past,” Aakash Chopra said.
“Now the spin that will come will be Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra and Ajaz Patel. You should back yourselves. Even your No. 8 batter has six centuries. So if you play like that, you might score 400-450. However, to reach there, you have to stop them first because if they reach a situation where they can declare, India will lose this match,” he further added.
IND vs NZ, 1st Test: New Zealand dominated the first innings of 1st Test as they bowled out Team India merely at a score of 46. Only Rishabh Pant (20) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (13) crossed over into the double figure mark, and Matt Henry and Will O’Rourke completely rattled the batting of the hosts. Henry picked five wickets and O’Rourke took four. No less notably, Virat Kohli, Sarfaraz Khan, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, and R. Ashwin were all caught down the leg side for ducks.
