Axar Patel ran through the heart of New Zealand’s middle order by picking up three crucial wickets as India bounced back in the afternoon session on Day 3. The visitors slid from 197 for 2 to 249 for 6 when Tea was taken.
In Asia, it is never easy to start against spin as one middle order batter after another from New Zealand struggled to come to grips with the conditions and India’s spin trio. Ross Taylor, who replaced Kane Williamson at the crease, was the first one to be dismissed after the break. Initially, the experienced batter had a close shave when KS Bharat – the replacement for Wriddhiman Saha who didn’t take the field with a neck problem – missed a tough stumping chance off Axar. However, the left-arm spinner didn’t have to wait long to pick his first scalp of the Test when he extracted turn and forced Taylor to edge one behind. Bharat played his part in the dismissal by grabbing a sharp chance behind the stumps.
Axar continued to extract bite with the second new ball and soon removed Henry Nicholls LBW. The southpaw placed his belief in the review but couldn’t overturn the on-field decision. Tom Latham (95), who had played with unremitting discipline, then lost his concentration as he attempted to step down the track. Just that Axar was able to spot Latham’s movements early and shortened the length. Subsequently, the ball perhaps clipped the elbow and Bharat effected a sharp stumping.
Axar’s spin colleague – R Jadeja – then joined in the act by castling Rachin Ravindra with a delivery that turned considerably from the footmarks. Once Ravindra was sent back to the hut, the duo of Kyle Jamieson and Tom Blundell shut shop to steer New Zealand to Tea. Earlier, despite losing a couple of wickets, New Zealand had found themselves in a relatively good position at Lunch. The tourists, who started the day at 129 for no loss, played with clarity of thought. The strategy from Will Young (89) and Latham (82*) was clear – bat for long periods in the first innings. The pair also took advantage of any loose balls on offer. Eventually, from over the wicket, R Ashwin forced Young to edge one behind.
Ashwin could have picked up his second wicket, but India didn’t opt to review a close LBW shout against Latham. Replays suggested that it would crash into the stumps. In an attempt to make further inroads, Ajinkya Rahane then took the second new ball and went back to Umesh Yadav and that move bore fruit. At the stroke of lunch, Williamson played back to a skiddy delivery that seamed back into him and was trapped in front. The morning session also saw a bit of controversy in relation to Ashwin running across in his followthrough and coming in line of the non-striker, obstructing him to take off for a single. Rahane too was summoned by the umpire Nitin Menon, and for a few minutes, there was a heated discussion in the middle.
Brief scores : India345 (Shreyas Iyer 105, Shubman Gill 52, Ravindra Jadeja 50; Tim Southee 5-69) lead New Zealand 249/6 (Tom Latham 95, Will Young 89; Axar Patel 3-46) by 96 runs.
