New Zealand 235 and 171 for 9 (Young 51, Jadeja 4-52, Ashwin 3-63) lead India 263 (Gill 90, Pant 60, Ajaz 5-103) by 143 runs
The new and the old of India combined to leave New Zealand effectively at 143 for 9 in their pursuit to prevent their first-ever home whitewash in a series of three or more Tests. It wasn’t going to be an easy target on a pitch that has consumed 29 wickets in two days, but it was a comeback from the nightmare of the final 10 minutes of first day, which was reminiscent of earlier collapses in the series.
Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant first resurrected the innings with a 90 and a 60, but it took a cameo of 38 off 36 from Washington Sundar to take India’s lead past 25 in the face of a resurgent Ajaz Patel, who took his second five-for in the city of his birth.
The old firm of R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja then combined to take seven wickets between them to prevent New Zealand from setting India a massive target on a crumbling pitch. Having lost his mantle as the new-ball bowler in second innings to Washington, Ashwin was instrumental in getting Jadeja to the favourable end and getting him his first wicket with a superb catch running back. However, a serene Will Young’s second fifty in the match and Glenn Phillips’ hitting made sure New Zealand had more than the bare minimum to bowl at.
It was the youth that India were looking to at the start of the day having lost Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli cheaply again. Pant and Gill added 96 at better than five an over to arrest the rot that had set in in on the first evening. Pant, in particular, was severe, not letting the lead spinner Ajaz bowl at all. Overnight 1 off 1, Pant began as he meant to go. Ajaz was too full first ball of the day, which Pant push-drove straight of mid-off, who moved deeper after the boundary. To the second ball, Pant stepped out, and drilled it straight of that deep mid-off, who now moved to long-off. Gill joined him with an inside-out chip over extra cover in Ajaz’s next over.
Then Pant played the lap shot for four to push forward short leg to behind square, promptly offering what could have been catches for the forward short leg the following two balls. It was Pant’s attacking mindset that had forced New Zealand to choose one of the two areas to man. Pant rubbed it in with two sixes in Ajaz’s next two overs.
Gill didn’t want to be left behind. He tried to hit Phillips’ first ball of the day for a six but ended up skying it to long-on where the substitute fielder Mark Chapman gave him a reprieve. That turned his innings around. He proceeded to put his head down and only took the boundaries on offer. He was 45 off 57 when dropped, his remaining 45 came off 89 balls.
Matt Henry dropped Pant too, but this miss cost New Zealand only seven runs as Pant fell lbw to a short ball from Ish Sodhi, who came on to bowl with only 84 runs left in the bank. Phillips, the unlucky bowler, was arguably the steadiest spinner of the three and was instrumental when Ajaz found his groove after lunch with a spell of 8.4-2-27-3.
Ajaz had found the good length, the pitch started to misbehave even more, and the results followed. More than 10 overs went without a boundary, and brought the wickets of Ravindra Jadeja and Sarfaraz Khan, the latter for a duck at his home ground.
Both of them fell to the forward-defensive without reaching the pitch of the ball. Gill decided he was not going to be a sitting duck. He upped his intent by taking on Phillips. However, Ajaz eventually got one to turn from a good length and take the edge for another catch to Daryl Mitchell at slip.
India were still 8 behind. Washington took over now, scoring 14 in a 20-run stand with R Ashwin and all of the 16 runs in the final stand with Akash Deep to take the lead past 25.
Washington was given a bigger vote of confidence as he opened the bowling ahead of Ashwin, but it was Akash Deep whose around-the-wicket angle and seam movement got rid of another left-hand opener. India proceeded to operate with the combination of Washington and Ashwin, who got a wicket each, Devon Conway on the forward-defensive and Rachin Ravindra stumped trying to hit a six.
Once the two right-hand batters, Young and Mitchell, got themselves in, all eyes went to Jadeja. Ashwin volunteered to have Jadeja bowl from his end, the end where Jadeja and Ajaz had taken wickets from. Rohit, though, wanted Ashwin to carry on bowling. The partnership swelled, ends were changed, and Jadeja got Mitchell out with more than just a hand from Ashwin, who ran back from mid-on to take a diving catch.
Tom Blundell didn’t survive long, but Phillips hit three sixes in no time at all, two of them off Ashwin, who proceeded to pull out the carrom ball from his back pocket after a long time, knocking back the off stump. It was a surprise that top-order Test batters were not picking the carrom ball: even the accomplished and settled Young was out caught and bowled to one.
Henry and Ajaz hit a six each, but Henry was bowled to an unplayable Jadeja delivery, which turned out to be the last one for the day.
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