Shubman Gill (90) and Rishabh Pant (60) helped India begin the day well, Ravindra Jadeja (4/52) and Ravichandran Ashwin (3/63) ensured they finished it on an even better note.
It’s advantage for India in the final Test in Mumbai.
The 96-run partnership between overnight not-out batsmen Gill and Pant, after the eight-ball madness at the fag end of Day I had reduced India to 84/4 from a stable 78/1, was massive in earning India a slender 28-run lead in response to New Zealand’s first-innings total of 235. Thereafter, exploiting the Wankhede pitch, Jadeja and Ashwin had the New Zealand batting line-up in all sorts of trouble as the visitors, in their second innings, laboured to 171/9 at stumps on Day II.
Alongside Ashwin’s expertise of the carrom ball, which helped him prize out the wicket of Will Young (50) – who produced another well-crafted knock after scoring his 71 in the first innings – the senior off-spinner also pulled off a wonderful catch at the deep that sent a set Daryl Mitchell back, giving Jadeja his first wicket. Till that happened, the Black Caps were breathing easy after Young and Mitchell had put on 50 for their fourth-wicket partnership.
Some credit also needs to go to Bengal pacer Akash Deep, who took the vital wicket of rival captain Tom Latham, cleaning the left-hander up with a beautifully shaping-in delivery in the first over of New Zealand’s second essay.
Ravindra Jadeja PTI
The lead is just 143 for New Zealand and India are well on track to prevent a 0-3 whitewash. Of course, batting hasn’t been getting any easier on the red-soil Wankhede track which played more tricks on Saturday with the odd ball keeping low as well. For sure, India would like to make sure the Kiwis don’t extend their lead past 150.
However, in comparison to New Zealand, India have greater depth in batting which bodes well for them. Besides, the hand-eye coordination of Yashavi Jaiswal and Pant, to an extent even Washington Sundar, is another factor that keeps the hosts ahead in the current situation.
On top of everything though, what stands out for India so far in this Test is the attacking, enterprising fifth-wicket stand between Gill and Pant, without which the lead would not have been possible. Gill, till erring off Ajaz Patel’s bowling when 10 short of a century in the day’s second session, remained steady right through and cashed in whenever there was even a little bit of room on offer.
Pant, on the other hand, threw caution to the wind as usual and was successful too against Ajaz and Glenn Phillips, racing to his half-century off just 36 balls. To be fair to New Zealand, they certainly missed Mitchell Santner on a surface assisting vicious turn and inconsistent bounce.
That said, they were also guilty of dropping two relatively easy catches at the deep, giving reprieves to both Gill and Pant when they were on 46 and 53, respectively.
Pant didn’t last long following that let-off. But Gill added another 44 before Sundar’s late exploits (38 not out),both of which may end up helping India earn some important World Test Championship points.
New Zealand
1st innings 235
India
1st innings (Overnight 86/4)
S. Gill c Mitchell b Patel 90
R. Pant lbw Sodhi 60
R. Jadeja c Mitchell b Phillips 14
S. Khan c Blundell b Patel 0
W. Sundar not out 38
R. Ashwin c Mitchell b Patel 6
A. Deep run out 0
Extras: (lb-1, nb-2) 3
Total: (all out, 59.4 overs) 263
Fall of wickets: 5/180, 6/203, 7/204, 8/227, 9/247
Bowling: Henry 8-1-26-1, O’Rourke 2-1-5-0, Patel 21.4-3-103-5, Phillips 20-0-84-1, Ravindra 1-0-8-0, Sodhi 7-0-36-1
New Zealand
2nd innings
T. Latham b Akash 1
D. Conway c Gill b Sundar 22
W. Young c & b Ashwin 51
R. Ravindra st Pant b Ashwin 4
D. Mitchell c Ashwin b Jadeja 21
T. Blundell b Jadeja 4
G. Phillips b Ashwin 26
I. Sodhi c Kohli b Jadeja 8
M. Henry b Jadeja 10
A. Patel batting 7
Extras: (b-12, lb-4, nb-1) 17
Total: (9 wickets, 43.3 overs) 171
Fall of wickets: 1/2, 2/39, 3/44, 4/94, 5/100, 6/131, 7/148, 8/150, 9/171
Bowling: Akash 5-0-10-1, Sundar 10-0-30-1, Ashwin 16-0-63-3, Jadeja 12.3-2-52-4