Tables turn in Bengaluru as New Zealand leave India with much to think

It's not often that you see R Ashwin, India's most successful offspinner ever, be hit at close to 6 runs an over in a Test match in India. During New Zealand's first innings, he had even conceded his costliest over in Test cricket, giving away 20 runs. The circumstances were such that Ashwin was the last bowler Rohit Sharma turned to when defending 107 on a fifth-day pitch. The captain later joked that he was only discussing where the rain could possibly be coming from on the final day with his premier spinner.

In a way, Ashwin's Test match reflected how well New Zealand had negated India's biggest strength. Among them, the three spinners managed only four maiden overs across the match, and in many ways, it underlined how much control they lacked on account of that first-innings collapse.

New Zealand's win was a rare one. It's taken them 36 years to do so. They came as many as eight times and played 19 matches between now and the last time they won on these shores. At the moment, they sit pretty heading into the next two matches and can start dreaming about bigger things in the series. Even against an Indian side that has built a reputation of being nearly invincible at home, a claim that is now being challenged more often than previously.

This Indian team has now lost as many home Tests in 19 months as they had done in ten years prior. Bangladesh too had run them close in their opening game in Chennai. But one thing is for sure, they've not given in easily. It has still taken two freakish performances to overcome them, but teams are now finding different ways to land punches.