'Rohit Sharma reminds England series after Bengaluru loss with 46 all out'

Rohit Sharma commended his batters for showing resilience in the second innings of the first Test against New Zealand, following a disappointing collapse in the first innings where they were dismissed for just 46 runs. The Indian captain praised the crucial contributions made by Rishabh Pant and Sarfaraz Khan during a challenging period in the Test match. Despite the impressive fightback in the second innings, Rohit Sharma expressed disappointment over the team's lackluster performance in the initial innings, emphasizing the need for improvement in the batting department.

New Zealand defeated India by eight wickets in the first Test of the three-match series at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Sunday. Will Young and Rachin Ravindra made lightwork of the target, and the duo chased down the total of 107 runs inside 28 overs.

India were bundled out for 46 in the first innings as New Zealand made the most of cloudy conditions. William ORourke and Matt Henry wreaked havoc as they took nine wickets amongst themselves.

"I mean, look, I said it during the press conference after Day 1. We knew it was going to be a challenge with the overcast conditions and the pitch being slightly sticky. But I wasn't expecting to be bowled out under 50. You have to give credit, where it's due. New Zealand bowled pretty well, challenged every corner of our bat, and we failed to respond to that. That set us back in the game as well. Games like this can happen, but we need to understand what we did well in this Test," said Rohit Sharma.

"There are guys who have been in this place before, we lost a game against England in the first Test, but we won 4-1. These things happen, there are two Tests to go, and we know what is required from each one us, so we will try to put our best game forward," he added.

During the post-match chat, Rohit Sharma heaped praise on Sarfaraz Khan and Rishabh Pant for their effort with the bat in hand in the second innings. Sarfaraz and Rishabh had played knocks of 150 and 99 respectively.

"When those two are batting, everyone is on the edge of their seats. They like to play the game, which has got them success. We have seen it with Rishabh with the way he bats. He takes a bit of risk, I thought it was a mature innings, he defended really well, left well and then backed himself to play those shots," said Rohit.

"Not to forget Sarfaraz, playing his only fourth Test, to show that kind of maturity and very clear in his mind, regarding what shots he needs to play," he added.

With this loss, India now finds itself in a spot of bother when it comes to World Test Championship (WTC) final qualification. The second Test between India and New Zealand will begin on October 24 in Pune.