New Zealand spinner Mitchell Santner spun a web around India’s batting as he picked his first-ever fifer in Test cricket. The left-arm spinner bowled 19.3 overs with one maiden and picked 7/53 to bowl out India for 156 runs in the 46th over. This gave the visitors a huge lead of 103 runs going into the third innings of the game.
Ravindra Jadeja was the best batter for India with 38 runs. Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill scored 30 runs each as the Indian batting surrendered to the Kiwi spin attack. If India loses this Test, it will be the first time in 12 years they will have lost a series at home.
In reply, the Kiwi openers made a solid start as they played 7 overs and were 29 for no loss. Skipper Tom Latham was batting on 15 while Devon Conway was on 14 as Rohit Sharma pressed in his spinners early. Ashwin and Washington Sundar who had snared all ten wickets in the first innings will have to repeat the feat if India hopes to perform a miracle.
Mitchell Santner’s spell leaves India flat on the ground
India came out to bat towards the end of the first day and lost Rohit Sharma for a duck to Tim Southee. The visitors had scored 259 in their first innings thanks to half-centuries by Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra. Washington Sundar, playing his first Test in 3 years, picked 7/59 to skittle out the hosts.
India’s overnight batters, Jaiswal and Gill started to attack the Kiwi bowlers as the pair took the score to fifty. The 49-run stand was broken in the 22nd over when Santner trapped Gill out LBW for 30. Virat Kohli was out for just one run as the batter went for a sweep off a full toss and was bowled.
Glenn Phillips came in to dismiss Yashasvi Jaiswal for 30 and Rishabh Pant for 18 as the fans started to go quiet. Sarfaraz Khan mistimed his shot as he was out for 11 caught by O Rourke. Ashwin then was out LBW when Santner’s ball was kissing the pitch and going straight.
Ravindra Jadeja came out and swung his bat and hit a few lusty blows before he too fell to Santner. They ended with the left-arm spinner dismissing Akash Deep for 6 and Jasprit Bumrah for a duck. Washington Sundar was left stranded on 18 as he scored 14 runs from the previous before India were bowled out.