A Tale of Resilience: New Zealand’s Grit Denies India a Famous Win in Kanpur

Test cricket is a canvas where the drama unfolds in slow-burning brilliance, and the first Test between India and New Zealand in Kanpur painted a masterpiece of grit, skill, and resilience. Over five enthralling days, the Green Park Stadium bore witness to a battle of attrition, where New Zealand clawed their way to a draw, denying India a victory that seemed inevitable at several junctures. 

Day 1: Shreyas Iyer’s Dream Debut 

India, led by stand-in captain Ajinkya Rahane in the absence of Virat Kohli, took to the field with a depleted XI missing key players like Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, and Rishabh Pant. Opting to bat first, Rahane entrusted his spinners to exploit the Kanpur surface as the match progressed. 

Shreyas Iyer, making his Test debut, showcased poise and maturity beyond his years. Walking in at a precarious 106 for 3, Iyer anchored the innings with a sparkling 75 not out at stumps. His unbroken 113-run partnership with Ravindra Jadeja lifted India to 258 for 4, setting a solid foundation. Iyer’s audacious six off Will Somerville to close the day epitomized his confidence, while Jadeja’s steady half-century underlined his value as an all-rounder. 

Day 2: Southee’s Spell and New Zealand’s Response 

Tim Southee, a craftsman with the red ball, delivered a masterclass on the second morning. His relentless precision and ability to extract movement from the surface yielded a five-wicket haul, his 13th in Tests and second in India. India’s innings folded for 345, with Iyer etching his name in history as the 16th Indian to score a century on debut. 

New Zealand’s openers, Tom Latham and Will Young responded with remarkable composure. Their unbroken 129-run stand defied India’s spinners on a surface offering variable bounce and turn. While the ball occasionally misbehaved, the Kiwi pair’s disciplined technique and patience ensured all results remained possible. 

Day 3: Axar Patel’s Precision 

The third day saw Axar Patel reaffirm his status as a lethal weapon in Indian conditions. His relentless targeting of the stumps reaped rewards as he claimed his fifth five-wicket haul in just four Tests. New Zealand, despite Latham’s valiant 95, were bowled out for 296, conceding a 49-run lead. 

India’s second innings began under ominous skies and ended on a somber note as Kyle Jamieson shattered Shubman Gill’s stumps with a peach of a delivery. At stumps, India held a slender lead of 63, with Mayank Agarwal and Cheteshwar Pujara tasked with building a defendable total. 

Day 4: Iyer and Saha Steady the Ship 

Shreyas Iyer continued his dream debut with a composed 65, rescuing India from a precarious 51 for 5 alongside Wriddhiman Saha, who battled a stiff neck to score an unbeaten 61. Their partnerships with Ashwin and Axar Patel ensured India set New Zealand a challenging target of 284. 

The declaration came late in the day, leaving New Zealand to navigate a tricky four-over spell. Ashwin struck immediately, trapping Will Young lbw with a delivery that stayed low. At stumps, New Zealand were 4 for 1, and the match seemed firmly in India’s grasp. 

Day 5: New Zealand’s Great Escape 

The final day will be etched in the annals of Test cricket as a testament to New Zealand’s resilience. Tom Latham and nightwatchman William Somerville blunted India’s attack in a marathon partnership, denying the hosts any breakthroughs in the first session. Their defiance sowed seeds of doubt in the Indian camp. 

Post-lunch, the tide began to turn. Somerville fell, and Latham followed soon after. Ross Taylor’s dismissal before tea left New Zealand wobbling, but Kane Williamson’s stoic presence offered hope. 

The final session was a cauldron of tension. Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja unleashed their full repertoire, exploiting the sharp turn and low bounce. Jadeja’s three wickets reduced New Zealand to their last pair, debutant Rachin Ravindra and Ajaz Patel, with more than eight overs remaining. 

What followed was a masterclass in survival. Ravindra’s dogged 91-ball vigil for 18 runs and Patel’s nerveless defense defied India’s relentless spinners. Fielders crowded the bat, every ball was an event, and the atmosphere crackled with anticipation. Yet, the Kiwi duo held firm. 

As bad light descended, the umpires called off play, sealing a dramatic draw. For New Zealand, it was a moral victory, showcasing their ability to withstand pressure in alien conditions. 

Post-Match Reflections 

Kane Williamson lauded his team’s fight, highlighting the contributions of Southee, Jamieson, and the last-wicket pair. “We hung around, showed fight, and earned a result against a formidable Indian side,” he remarked. 

Ajinkya Rahane acknowledged India’s effort but rued missed opportunities. “We tried our best, but credit to New Zealand for their resilience. Shreyas was outstanding, and our bowlers gave it their all,” he said. 

Conclusion 

The Kanpur Test reaffirmed why Test cricket remains the pinnacle of the sport. It was a contest of skill, endurance, and mental fortitude, where both teams displayed qualities that define greatness. While India dominated large swathes of the match, New Zealand’s unyielding spirit ensured they walked away with their heads held high. 

As the teams head to Mumbai for the second Test, the series remains tantalizingly poised, a fitting testament to the enduring magic of the longest format. 

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

Waqar Younis: The Lethal Symphony of Reverse Swing

A great fast bowler is often likened to a predator, stalking his prey with an uncanny sense of timing, precision, and aggression. The image of a tiger on the prowl is an apt metaphor for the art of fast bowling—a skill that requires not only physical prowess but a strategic mind capable of setting traps, analyzing weaknesses, and exploiting every vulnerability of the opposition. In this realm, Waqar Younis stands as one of the finest, a bowler whose craft transcended the boundaries of conventional fast bowling, shaping an era in which batsmen were forced to reckon with not just pace, but with the subtleties of swing, especially reverse swing.

Waqar Younis, born on November 16, 1971, was not just another pace bowler from the cricketing powerhouse of Pakistan. He was a revolutionary force, one who redefined the boundaries of what it meant to bowl fast. Waqar’s arrival in the international cricket arena came at a time when the world was in awe of the West Indian pace battery and Australia’s unrelenting fast bowlers. Yet Waqar, along with his partner Wasim Akram, would change the game. His ability to reverse the ball at high speed became his hallmark, and his mastery of the craft earned him a revered place in the history of fast bowling.

The Debut of a Prodigy

Waqar Younis made his Test debut on November 15, 1989, against India in Karachi, just a day before his 18th birthday. This debut, though a personal triumph for Waqar, would soon become a historic moment in cricket. Waqar and his debut counterpart, the 16-year-old Sachin Tendulkar, would go on to shape the future of cricket in their respective countries. While Tendulkar was already being heralded as a prodigy, Waqar’s performance with the ball was an equally significant milestone. In his very first innings, Waqar claimed four wickets, including that of the elegant Mohammad Azharuddin and the steadfast Sanjay Manjrekar. Waqar’s sharp pace and aggressive line were evident from the start, and the cricketing world was quick to recognize his potential. Remarkably, it was Waqar who dismissed the young Tendulkar in his first-ever innings as a Test cricketer—a moment that would go down in history as one of the first of many battles between two future legends of the game.

The Rise of the Reverse Swing Master

As Waqar’s career progressed, he began to carve out his niche as the master of reverse swing. This skill, once considered a mystery in fast bowling, was something that Waqar, along with his senior partner Wasim Akram, perfected and made an integral part of their arsenals. In an era where batsmen were increasingly dominating the game, the ability to make the ball swing late, at high speed, became a potent weapon for bowlers, and Waqar was at the forefront of this revolution.

Reverse swing, the phenomenon where the ball swings in the opposite direction of conventional swing, has long been a hallmark of Pakistan’s fast-bowling legacy. Waqar, however, added a layer of sophistication to this art. The mastery of the old ball, with one side kept shiny and the other rough, was something Waqar wielded with devastating effect. The late swing, often targeting the stumps, would leave batsmen with little time to react. Waqar’s deliveries often landed with precision, moving late and sharply, and making the batsmen look helpless. The delivery that targeted the toes and often left the batsman with a painful decision—either risk injury or let the ball hit the stumps—became a signature weapon in his armoury. With his high pace and unrelenting accuracy, Waqar became a nightmare for any batsman facing him.

The Partnership with Wasim Akram

Perhaps one of the most formidable fast-bowling partnerships in cricketing history was the one between Waqar Younis and Wasim Akram. Together, they formed a lethal combination of pace, swing, and precision that made Pakistan’s bowling attack the envy of the cricketing world in the 1990s. Both bowlers could reverse swing the ball at high speed, and their complementary styles made them a deadly force on any surface. While Akram was known for his devastating outswingers, Waqar’s inswingers, often coming from an unorthodox angle, were equally deadly. Their synergy on the field became legendary, as they exploited the smallest chinks in the opposition’s armour with uncanny precision.

Waqar’s ability to reverse swing was not just a matter of technical skill but of constant refinement. He explained the nuances of reverse swing with the calm assurance of a true artist, revealing how the rough side of the ball would generate movement in the air, creating problems for batsmen who were accustomed to conventional swing. This ability to swing the ball both ways, at high speeds and with pinpoint accuracy, placed Waqar among the greatest fast bowlers of his time.

Speed and Aggression

In terms of raw speed, Waqar’s fastest delivery was recorded at 153 km/h (95.1 mph) against South Africa in 1993. While his pace may have diminished due to injury over the years, it is important to note that Waqar was never merely a bowler who relied on speed. His short-pitched deliveries, bouncers, and a sharpness of line meant that he was not simply aiming for speed but also for precision. The aggressive nature of his bowling, especially in the Test matches, was particularly evident in his performance in the Sheikhupura Test against South Africa in 1997, where he used the short-pitched delivery to great effect, exploiting the bounce of the pitch to unsettle the opposition.

Controversy and Legacy

Waqar’s career was not without its controversies. Following Pakistan’s victory in the 1992 Test series against England, the English media raised suspicions about the legitimacy of reverse swing. It was still a relatively unknown skill at the time, and the accusations of foul play came fast and hard. However, no evidence of malpractice was ever found, and Waqar’s skill with the old ball was accepted as a legitimate and innovative technique in fast bowling. This marked a defining moment in cricket history, as reverse swing became recognized not just as a mystery, but as a skill that could be honed and mastered.

Throughout his career, Waqar maintained an average of around 23 across formats—a remarkable achievement that speaks to his consistency and effectiveness. His ability to strike with the ball, especially when the ball was older, and his penchant for targeting the stumps with pace, made him a feared opponent. His tally of 13 five-wicket hauls in One-Day Internationals (ODIs) is further testimony to his prowess in the shorter formats.

Waqar’s legacy is not only measured in the number of wickets he claimed or the accolades he received but in the way he changed the landscape of fast bowling. He was not just a bowler who relied on the opposition making mistakes; he was a bowler who forced the batsman to play, and when they did, they often found themselves outfoxed and outplayed.

The End of an Era:

The latter part of Waqar’s career was not as glorious as his peak, and his leadership during Pakistan’s disastrous 2003 World Cup campaign marked the beginning of his decline. Following his removal from the captaincy and a brief period of uncertainty, Waqar announced his retirement in 2004. His career had come to an end not with the fanfare it deserved, but with the quiet dignity of a man who had given everything to the game. In the years that followed, Waqar transitioned into a respected commentator, where his expertise in fast bowling and his wisdom on the intricacies of the game continue to educate and inspire a new generation of cricketers.

Waqar Younis will always be remembered as one of the finest fast bowlers to have ever graced the cricket field. His legacy is not merely in his wickets or his records, but in the way he transformed the art of fast bowling—elevating it to a level of artistry, precision, and pure genius. Waqar’s story is one of relentless pursuit—of mastery, of deception, and of the unyielding desire to be the predator on the field. His career stands as a testament to the elegance and brutality of reverse swing, and his place in the pantheon of cricketing greats is assured.

Thank You

Faisal Caesar