Kane looks on the bright side

Kanpur - New Zealand captain Kane Williamson was naturally disappointed to lose the first Test against India in Kanpur, but opted to look at the positives after dragging the game into a fifth day.

A battling half century from Mitchell Santner, who also took a five-fer in the match, was the highlight for the skipper, while Luke Ronchi's 80 in the second dig was the best score of the game.

But they were not able to combat the spin of Ravi Ashwin and Ravi Jadeja, who took 10 and six wickets respectively, and Williamson said they would need to heed those spin lessons quickly.

Williamson said: "It's disappointing when you lose, but India are a good side, particularly in their home conditions and they showed that again.

"But there are certainly positives for us to take from this Test into the next one.

"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."

The skipper had further kind words for Santner's efforts: "He played outstandingly well.

"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 second Test starts on 30 September in Kolkata.