India won the 1995/96 series against New Zealand 1-0. They won in Bangalore inside three days. Rain took care of the rest. Only 71.1 overs of cricket was possible in Madras. At 177.5 overs, the Cuttack Test match fared slightly better.

At Bangalore, New Zealand were undone by Javagal Srinath (3-24) and Anil Kumble (4-39). At one stage they were reeling at 71/6. Captain Lee Germon, at No. 8, then carved out 48 to take his team to 145. India vs New Zealand Part 10, 1993/94: History in Hamilton.

The New Zealand fast bowlers – Danny Morrison (3-61), Chris Cairns (4-44), and Dion Nash (3-50) – bowled well in response. India were reduced to 54/3 before Ajay Jadeja (59) and Mohammad Azharuddin (87) added 95 for the fourth wicket, taking India past New Zealand’s score.

Azhar added another 62 with Vinod Kambli. India collapsed to 228 once both men fell, but they had got the lead they needed. Once again Germon (41) resisted, but New Zealand collapsed to 233 against Kumble (5-81). India won by eight wickets with Jadeja scoring another fifty.

A Sachin Tendulkar fifty was the sole highlight in Madras, where only two wickets fell. At Cuttack, after two days of stop-start cricket and two days of rain, India declared overnight on 296/8, with four men crossing forty but nobody reaching fifty.

On the fifth day, as Kumble held one end up, Narendra Hirwani (6-59) took out the batters one by one. They finished on 175/8.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 21, 2021 06:07 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).