Kiwis count positives from Kanpur chaos

Not often does a touring team look to the future with confidence after suffering a massive 197-run defeat, but New Zealand had enough reason to smile after India won the first Test in Kanpur on Monday.

For a side ranked seventh in the world, the Black Caps punched above their weight to achieve what many teams failed to do in India in recent years – take the Test into the fifth day.

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Even India captain Virat Kohli, celebrating victory in his country's 500th Test, acknowledged as much, saying he expected close contests in the remaining two matches in Kolkata and Indore.

"We needed to play at our best to win," Kohli said after second-ranked India won a 10th Test from 11 on home soil.

"Credit goes to New Zealand, who showed great resilience and guts. The reason why this game went to the second session on the fifth day was because of the character they showed."

Kohli said taking the lead in a three-Test series was important, but insisted New Zealand will not be toppled easily in the remaining matches.

"Whoever has the first advantage over the other team will go into the second Test feeling more confident for sure," he said.

"But it does not mean you can take things for granted because we are playing a quality side.

"New Zealand are a team that works really hard. They are very smart about their cricket and they believe in their abilities."

New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson admitted India were the better team in familiar conditions, but lauded his side for showing remarkable spirit to fight till the end.

"It's disappointing when you lose, but India are a good side, particularly in their home conditions and they showed that again," Williamson said. "But there are certainly positives for us to take from this Test into the next one.

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"The way Mitch Santner played and Luke Ronchi coming back into the side were a couple of highlights. As a unit we want to be able to apply that pressure for longer, which isn't always easy in this part of the world against a side like India.

"But it's certainly a challenge for us moving forward."

Ronchi's 80 in the second innings was the highest individual score on either side, but it was the splendid all-round effort from 24-year-old Santner that lifted the tourists.

Santner, just a year old in international cricket and playing only his eighth Test, took five wickets with his left-arm spin and hit 32 and a career-best 71 to delay India's victory.

"He played outstandingly well," Williamson said of his young allrounder. "It's his first time in this part of the world playing Test cricket and it was a great step in the right direction for his game.

"We all know he has got the talent with bat and ball and to apply himself like he did was very good.

"It was a huge positive for us. He'll look forward to the next one and I'm sure he has learned a lot from this experience."

The 16 wickets shared by spin twins Ravichandran Ashwin and man-of-the-match Ravindra Jadeja proved decisive in the end on a dusty, dry pitch at the Green Park where batting was a hazardous task.

But moments of madness in both innings by New Zealand's accomplished top-order let the tourists down.

The Black Caps, having kept India to 318 in the first innings, were cruising at 1-159 on the third morning when Latham (58), Williamson (75) and Ross Taylor (0) fell in the space of four overs.

It happened again after tea on the fourth day when New Zealand slumped to 4-56 in the second innings, a collapse highlighted by Taylor's inexplicable run out because he did not ground his bat despite it being inside the crease.

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Williamson said the team hoped to make amends when the second Test opens at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Friday.

"The first thing is the guys need to recover well," he said. "There were a lot of good things to come out of this game. We want to be better and consistent throughout the five days.

"That's the challenge for us. It is about improving as a young, but very talented, side. For us going to the next one it's about learning quickly and moving forward."