New Zealand batter Rachin Ravindra praised the batting conditions at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, calling it “lovely to bat” after scoring a century against India in the first Test on Friday.

While India struggled in their first innings, posting just 46 runs—their lowest total at home—Rachin’s impressive 134, along with contributions from Devon Conway (91) and Tim Southee (65), helped New Zealand secure a commanding lead of 356 runs with a total of 402.

Rachin and Southee’s partnership of 137 runs for the eighth wicket set a record as New Zealand’s joint-highest eighth wicket stand against India in Tests. Playing in familiar surroundings, Rachin felt at ease, especially with his father cheering him on from the stands.

“I was just trying to build partnerships, and that partnership with Tim really helped me out. The objective was clear, and we knew what we needed to do. It’s comforting knowing the surroundings, even though the wicket is different. It’s a lovely wicket to bat,” he reflected at the end of Day 3.

Rachin also expressed happiness at having family present, noting, “It’s great to have him here; it’s his hometown, and the crowd has been fantastic. I actually took the whole booklet of ticket allocations!”

Following their disappointing first innings, Indian openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and captain Rohit Sharma cautiously added 72 runs for the first wicket before Ajaz Patel dismissed Jaiswal for 35. Rohit completed his half-century but fell to Patel shortly after. However, a solid partnership of 136 runs between Virat Kohli and Sarfaraz Khan steadied India’s innings.

Kohli, who scored 70 runs with eight fours and a six, was dismissed by Glenn Phillips on the final ball of the day, leaving India at 231/3 and trailing by 125 runs. Sarfaraz Khan remained unbeaten on 70.

“Virat is obviously a great player, and he punished us, but we still have a lot of runs to play with,” Rachin commented on Kohli’s performance, which marked the milestone of his 9,000 Test runs.