India should have bowled them out: Former Pak captain disappointed as India fail to win Kanpur Test vs NZ

India and New Zealand locked horns with each other in the series opener of the two-match Test series at Green Park, Kanpur. The match had plenty of action and drama as the sporting pitch ensured that pacers, spinners as well as batters had something to extract from the 22-yard cricket strip.

Opting to bat first, Ajinkya Rahane-led Team India rode on Shreyas Iyer's 105 and fifties from Ravindra Jadeja and Shubman Gill to post 345 all-out. In reply, NZ were all-out for 296 after half-centuries from Tom Latham and Will Young. Rahane & Co. then declared their second innings at 234-7, courtesy fifties from Iyer and Wriddhiman Saha, as the Kiwis were given a stiff 284-run target. They went to stumps on Day 4 needing 280 more to win whereas India were nine wickets away from going 1-0 up.

Day 5 commenced with the Kiwis going to the lunch break without losing a wicket. However, India initiated their collapse as Black Caps went from 79/1 to 155/9. Nonetheless, Indian bowlers couldn't get rid of the last-wicket pair for the visitors as the match ended with Williamson & Co. 165/9. 

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Thus, former Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq has expressed his disappointment with Rahane & Co. failing to go 1-0 up in the series. Speaking on his Youtube channel, Inzy said, "Not sure whether we should give credit to New Zealand or call India unlucky. It was clear even yesterday that New Zealand cannot win the match because they wouldn't have been able to chase down the score (of 284). I feel New Zealand should be given credit for batting through the day on this pitch. I was, however, anticipating that there would be some wear and tear on the fifth day and that the likes of [Ravindra] Jadeja and [Axar] Patel would not let the batsmen play because the ball would spin.

"New Zealand should be commended because apart from [Kane] Williamson, they do not have a star batter in their ranks. But they all put their hands up and put in a combined effort. It's not that one person made a big score and continued to hold one end. Whoever came out to bat performed their duty very ably. They would have been told in the dressing room that they need to spend a lot of time in the middle and not chase after the total," elaborated Inzamam.

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He added, "On the other hand, this is a disappointment for India. I didn't think New Zealand would have bat through Day 5 against this Indian bowling attack. India should have bowled them out. Jadeja bowled well for his four wickets but I expected a lot more from all of them. I truly believe that the match should have finished within the first two sessions," concluded Inzamam.

After the first Test, India will see the return of their regular captain Virat Kohli in the squad. The second and final Test will commence from December 3 at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai. The home side will be eager to finish off the series on a high with a 1-0 scoreline and avenge their WTC final loss versus New Zealand.