India captain Rohit Sharma admitted to a costly misjudgment of the pitch at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium after India suffered a batting collapse and were bowled out for just 46 runs in the first Test against New Zealand. This was India's lowest Test score at home and third highest in history. After the second day's play, Rohit reflected on the decision to bat first under cloudy skies, a decision that backfired disastrously for the hosts. “We thought it wouldn't help the sailors much after the first session or so. There wasn't much grass either. We expected it to be much flatter than it turned out. It was a misjudgment on my part and mine. “I couldn't read the pitch well to see that score as captain as it was my decision to bat first, but one or two bad decisions in a year is perfectly fine.

India's collapse came just days after their triumphant Test series win against Bangladesh in Kanpur, making their rapid decline even more shocking. Opting to bat on a pitch that was overcast due to recent rains, India faced a devastating attack from New Zealand pacers led by William O'Rourke and Matt Henry. Tim Southee initiated the collapse by removing Rohit Sharma at the start of the innings and India never recovered from there. Five Indian batters, including Kohli, registered ducks, making the extent of the meltdown even clearer.

“On a pitch where the Seamen were supported and we were now bowled out for 46, you could tell the shot selection was not up to par. It was a bad day. Sometimes you plan to do something but you fail to execute it,” the Indian captain added.

New Zealand, who came to India after a 2-0 series defeat in Sri Lanka, benefited from the damp pitch conditions. The Indian team, despite their confidence, faltered early in the series as the conditions favored seam bowling over spin. India's decision to rely on three spinners and just two pacers has also come under scrutiny.

India's strategy of promoting Kohli to number three also failed. Kohli, who took responsibility for the role after discussions with the team, was dismissed for a duck and Sarfaraz Khan, playing at number four, followed suit with a cheap dismissal. KL Rahul, who started at number six, also failed to capitalize on his familiarity with the local conditions and was sent off without points.

“We don’t want to change KL’s batting position much. He found a spot at 6, so we'll give him a rope there. The same applies to Sarfaraz. We wanted to give him a similar position to how he bats as he is also a newcomer to international cricket. So Virat was the one who wanted to take responsibility. We had a discussion and he agreed to it. This is a good sign that the players are taking responsibility,” said Rohit.

New Zealand, on the other hand, seized the opportunity. After dismissing India with a dismal total, the visitors ended the second day with 180 for 3 and a lead of 134 runs. Devon Conway stood out for the visitors, scoring 91 runs while Will Young contributed 33 runs. Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja picked up a scalp each but India face an uphill task in recovering from their nightmare start in the series opener.