Bengaluru weather forecast for Sunday: Will it rain on Day 5 of 1st ...

New Zealand managed to seize the advantage yet again as India suffered another batting collapse on Day 4 of the first Test in Bengaluru on Saturday. Despite Sarfaraz Khan’s majestic 150 and Rishabh Pant’s 99, and their 177-run partnership for the fourth wicket that took the home team past 400 with plenty of wickets in hand, India lost wickets in a heap yet again, setting the Black Caps a little more than 100 runs for them to collect their first Test victory on Indian soil in more than three decades.

Sarfaraz was dismissed immediately after he reached 150 while Pant would suffer a heartbreak just four overs later as he would miss out on a second Test hundred in three matches by just one run. Senior batter KL Rahul and all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin, however, failed to capitalise on the solid start provided by the Indian top-order as well as Sarfaraz and Pant as the hosts went from 408/3 to 462 all out – losing their last seven wickets for just 54 runs.

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While four of the top five-batters managed to go past the fifty mark, with opener Yashasvi Jaiswal getting dismissed on 35 after collecting six fours, Rahul and Ashwin were dismissed for 12 and 15 respectively with Jadeja departing for 5.

The New Zealand pacers, to their credit, shone for the second time in three days, as they managed to trigger another batting collapse once skipper Tom Latham opted for the new ball under overcast conditions at the Chinnaswamy, conditions that had led to the Indians getting shot out for 46 in their first innings.

Skipper Latham had faced just four deliveries from Jasprit Bumrah, with the Indians burning a review in one of those balls after a failed LBW appeal, when the umpires decided to halt play due to poor light, which was soon followed by heavy rain that resulted in stumps being declared.

As It Happened | India vs New Zealand, 1st Test in Bengaluru, Day 4

With just a 107-run target to defend, the Indian attack will have to pull a rabbit out of the hat if they are to go 1-0 up in the series the way the Indians bowled Australia out for 93 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai in 2004 after setting the Adam Gilchrist-led side a similar target.

There, however, is also the possibility of Bengaluru weather possibly playing spoilsport (or saviour, depending on the team) on the final day, like it did on Wednesday when the entire opening day was washed out without even the toss taking place.

Will rain make another appearance on Day 5 of the Chinnaswamy Test?

Sunday’s forecast for the ‘Garden City’ reads “mostly cloudy with a thunderstorm”, according to Accuweather. With an 80 per cent chance of rain and a 48 per cent chance of thunderstorms, there is a possibility that the first Test between India and New Zealand might witness a second day getting washed out completely, this one resulting in both teams travelling to Pune with the series level at nil-all.

New Zealand, though, are more than capable of explosive batting, and Latham and Co will set target just one fiery session to try and achieve the 107-run target. That, however, is easier said than done, and if play resumes under overcast conditions on Sunday with Bumrah and Co operating with an SG cherry that’s just four balls old, India could induce panic in the Black Caps dressing room with an early wicket or three.