India captain Rohit Sharma on Thursday admitted that he made the mistake of batting first after winning the toss in the Bengaluru Test against New Zealand.
The skipper made the wrong call to let New Zealand bowl first despite overcast conditions and the pitch being under cover for more than a day.
The decision immediately backfired and played into New Zealand's hands as India collapsed to 46 all out in a session with Rishabh Pant's 20 being the highest score.
The trio of Tim Southee, Matt Henry and William O'Rourke ran through the famed Indian batting lineup within 32 overs to stun the home fans and team in their own backyard.
Henry bagged a five-for to complete 100 Test wickets while O'Rourke bagged 4 and Southee got the big scalp of Rohit (2).
Captain admits his mistake
Barring Pant, opener Yashasvi Jaiswal was the only other batter to score in double digits as India's scorecard bore close resemblance with the 36-all out in the 2020 Adelaide Test against Australia.
"I am hurting to see this score of 46 as a captain as it was my call to bat first. But one or two bad calls in a year is quite alright.
"It was my misjudgement to bat first. I was expecting a flat pitch, but I couldn't read the pitch well," the 37-year-old said after stumps on Day 2.
Advantage New Zealand in Bengaluru
New Zealand have taken a 136-run first innings lead after bowling out India for their lowest Test score on home soil. The previous Indian record of lowest Test innings total at home came nearly 37 years ago, against the West Indies in November, 1987 at Delhi.
Devon Conway made 91 while Will Young scored 33 as the Kiwis led a strong reply in two sessions of play before bad light forced an early end to the proceedings.
