Conway's Unbeaten 61 Guides NZ to 82/1 After India Crumbles for 46, 1st Test

Opener Devon Conway smashed a stroke-filled 61 to help New Zealand reach 82/1 in 20 overs at tea on day two of the first Test against India at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Thursday.

New Zealand, meanwhile, are poised to build on their 36-run lead after bowling India out for a mere 46 in the first hour of the second session. Conway was the aggressor after combining with captain Tom Latham in a 67-run opening stand that got New Zealand off to a solid start in pursuit of 210.

With bright sunshine slowly making way, Conway was super with clipping and driving Mohammed Siraj for boundaries, followed by sweetly timing his fours off Jasprit Bumrah. What really stood out from Conway's breezy knock has been his takedown of premier off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin.

With his armoury of sweeps, reverse sweeps and even sixes smashed down the ground, Conway's attacking blitzkrieg ensured he got his tenth Test fifty in 54 balls, as Ashwin went for 31 runs in his six overs.

Though Kuldeep Yadav gave India the breakthrough by trapping Latham lbw with a googly, Conway taking two more boundaries via drive and Will Young also taking a four meant New Zealand went into tea with hopes of taking a mammoth lead against India.

Previously, Matt Henry had started from 34/6 at lunch by catching the shoulder edge of Ravichandran Ashwin on the very first ball as well and the ball lobbed to gully. He then tried to tempt Rishabh Pant into tentative defense and edged to second slip.

William O'Rourke had Bumrah heaving to long leg, before Henry ended the Indian batting horror show by having Kuldeep Yadav caught at gully to cap off a brilliant time for New Zealand with the red cherry. Henry ended up with 5-15 and also reached the landmark of 100 Test wickets.

O'Rourke played his first Test in India and put in a great effort with 4-22. The veteran Tim Southee also scalped a wicket for New Zealand while India, bowled out for their lowest Test total at home, saw Pant (20) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (13) cross double figures in a sorry Indian batting show laced with five ducks.

Brief Scores: India 46 in 31.2 overs (Rishabh Pant 20; Matt Henry 5-15) trails New Zealand 82/1 in 20 overs (Devon Conway 61 not out; Kuldeep Yadav 1-15) by 36 runs.