IND vs NZ 1st Test: 3 to 4 hours of bad cricket cost us, says Rohit Sharma

Rohit said he knew the wicket would be sticky and tough to bat on but never thought they would be bundled out for less than 50

New Zealand stunned India in Bengaluru by beating the hosts by eight wickets to register their first Test win in India since 1988, going 1-0 up in the series. While India came back strong in the second half of the match, overcoming the 46 all out in the first innings proved a mountain too big to climb. Indian skipper Rohit Sharma, in the post-match press conference, mentioned that three to four hours of bad cricket on day two ultimately cost them the game against New Zealand.
 

Lots of positives from the game
 

In the press conference, Rohit Sharma said that despite India ending up on the losing side in the first Test, there were a lot of positives to take from the game. Rohit praised the team for how they batted in the second innings after a forgettable first innings. He said, “During the second innings, we were going so strong at one point that we didn't even realise we were 350 runs behind after the first innings.”
 

On the decision to bat after winning the toss, Rohit said, "We knew the wicket would be sticky and tough to bat on, but we never thought we’d be bundled out for less than 50. Credit to the New Zealand bowlers who challenged us with every ball and executed their plans to perfection."

Sarfaraz and Pant are the future of India
 

When asked about the impressive knocks from Sarfaraz Khan and Rishabh Pant, Rohit said these two players are very special talents and the future of Indian Test cricket. Speaking about Sarfaraz, Rohit said he had been waiting for his chance, and now that he finally has it, he’s making the most of it. Rohit also said, "You don’t expect such maturity from a batter so young, playing only his third or fourth Test, but the way he carried himself in that innings was remarkable."
 

Rohit also spoke about Pant and his injury concerns. He said, "There is nothing serious, but there was definitely some discomfort, as he was mainly looking to hit the ball into the stands and wasn’t focusing much on running between the wickets." Rohit added that a talent like Pant is crucial for any team and that the management would look into the injury concerns before the second Test.
 

India and New Zealand will now travel to Pune for the second Test, which starts on Thursday, October 24.