Southee on song as Black Caps thrash India

New Zealand completed a comprehensive 10-wicket victory over India before lunch on the fourth day of the first Test at the Basin Reserve on Monday to give them a 1-0 lead in the two-match series.

Tom Latham finished seven not out while Tom Blundell was two as the opening pair knocked off the nine runs needed for victory in just 10 balls after the visitors were dismissed for 191 in their second innings.

Trent Boult and Tim Southee had ripped through India's lower middle order and dismissed the visitors about 40 minutes before lunch with a lead of just eight runs after the hosts had scored 348 in their first innings.

India, who had not lost any of their seven previous International Cricket Council World Test Championship matches, started the day on 4-144, still 39 runs behind and staring at a potential first defeat.

Boult and Southee dismissed both of the last recognised batsmen in Ajinkya Rahane (29) and Hanuma Vihari (15) respectively in the first 20 minutes and then ran through the rest of the line-up with Southee finishing with 5-61 and a match haul of nine wickets. 

Kane Williamson (89) and boom India opener Mayank Agarwal (58 in second inns) were the only players to post half-centuries in the match.

"It was an outstanding effort over the space of four days," New Zealand captain Kane Williamson said. "We know how strong this Indian team is all round the world.

"The efforts that went into that first innings, to put the ball in the right areas for long periods of time (were crucial), and I think with the bat to get what was a very competitive total on a surface that I thought was a very good one, that offered (something) right throughout the match (was a good effort)."

India captain Virat Kohli rued losing the toss.

"Day one it was probably the toss that turned out to be very important," Kohli said.

"But as a batting unit we take a lot of pride in being competitive and we were just not competitive enough."

The Black Caps win over the top-ranked Test nation was made all the more impressive given the absence of key paceman Neil Wagner, who missed the match as he awaited the arrival of his child.

The second Test begins on Saturday in Christchurch.