After being bundled out for 46 in the first innings, India endured a similar collapse in the second essay of the opening Test, losing seven wickets for mere 54 runs — this after a monumental fightback from Sarfaraz Khan and Rishabh Pant to eventually set New Zealand just 107 to win their first Test in India in decades.

With 21 overs left on the penultimate day of the match, the Kiwi openers — Tom Latham and Devon Conway faced four deliveries from Jasprit Bumrah, with India also burning a review before a thick band of cloud overhead forced the umpires to call it a day amid Rohit Sharma & Co’s initial hesitation. The umpires’ call was in fact right as a heavy downpour followed soon after the players left the field.

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The fourth day’s action was a start-stop affair with rain interruptions on either side of the lunch break, even as the home side, led by a 177-run fourth-wicket partnership between Sarfaraz and Pant, put up a stellar fightback in the second innings to reach 400 just three down before the New Zealand pacers finally broke the shackles after the introduction of the second new ball, with Tim Southee leading the way by ending Sarfaraz’s vigil after the 26-year-old slammed his maiden Test century.

During the course of the day, Sarfaraz turned his first Test hundred into a 150, his 11th first-class score of 150 or more out of his 16 hundreds. Pant, who returned to the field after spending almost a day and half off the field nursing a hit on his surgically repaired knee from his life-threatening road accident, hardly showed any signs of discomfort, but was unlucky to be dismissed in the 90s for the seventh time in his career to go with six hundreds. Towards the end, Pant’s running hampered, he turned at least two couples into singles as he approached the hundred.

Earlier, India resumed the day, aiming to cut down the deficit of 125 runs of New Zealand’s mammoth first innings lead of 356, as overnight batter Sarfaraz joined forces with Rishabh Pant to carry on from the 231 for 3 on day three. The two — teammates at the Under-19 World Cup, toyed with the Kiwi bowling attack, playing audacious shots, and almost matched each other shot by shot after getting their eyes in.

Pant, who received a reprieve from his Kiwi counterpart Tom Blundell on six, slammed 12 off the first 24 balls he faced while Sarfaraz warmed himself up with a cheeky ramp off Will O’Rourke’s first ball of the day. As the day progressed, the duo showed little respect to the Kiwi attack nor the field placements mattered to them, as Sarfaraz, who began the day on an overnight score of 70, brought up an emotional maiden Test hundred on the eight over of the day by punching Southee to deep cover.

At the other end, Pant pressed on the accelerator, and deposited the left-arm spinner Ajaz Patel for two sixes and a four to help India cut the deficit, before rain arrived. After the break, Sarfaraz and Pant cashed in on the nine overs before the new ball, which arrived with India 44 ahead already.

The introduction of the second new ball did the trick for New Zealand, who have been battered all day, by the audacity of the two youngsters. Southee triggered the collapse with the scalp of Sarfaraz before the 6’6″ O’Rourke induced Pant to play on on 99. The last recognised batter in KL Rahul perished moments before the tea break after the local lad nicked one behind.

New Zealand kept things tight in the post-tea session, and soon picked the remaining Indian wickets to bundle the hosts out for 462, and give themselves enough time to win their third Test on Indian soil, and the first since 1988.

Brace up for rain-hit final day 

According to the MET department’s forecast, Bengaluru will have generally cloudy sky with one or two spells of rain or thundershowers on Sunday, while Accuweather predicted thunderstorms in the area late Saturday night through Sunday evening.

The opening day of the Test was washed out, with persistent rain forcing the covers to stay in place right through the day. While play began the following morning, there were overcast conditions assisting the New Zealand pace attack. On the fourth day, there were rain interruptions on either side of the lunch interval before a heavy downpour forced an early closure.

Despite the rain predictions, the match is interestingly poised from where all results are possible – with New Zealand certainly better placed as they need just 107 runs with all 10 wickets intact.

Brief Scores: India 46 and 462 (Sarfaraz Khan 150, Rishabh Pant 99; William O’Rourke 3-92, Matt Henry 3-102) lead New Zealand 402 and 0/0 by 106 runs.