stub India 86 for 4 people (Gill 31*, Jaiswal 30, Ajaz 2-33) Trail New Zealand 235 (Mitchell 82, Young 71, Jadeja 5-65, Washington 4-81) 149 points.
Collapsed from 159 to 235 for 3, India got some respite and played to avoid a second series whitewash (in two or more Tests) and a crucial WTC point at home. But the last two overs – Yashasvi Jaiswal bowled a reverse sweep, night-watcher Mohammed Siraj took a review and Virat Kohli got out himself – were disappointing for them.
That’s because Tom Latham is in a desirable position after winning another important toss and securing the bat in the best batting conditions of the game. He led New Zealand’s early progress despite losing Devon Conway to Akash Deep around the wicket. The pace attack missing Jasprit Bumrah only goes so far. R Ashwin came out to bowl in the top of the eighth over, and he will be seen as the spinner most likely to get a wicket in the final hour of the day.
Latham had 28 of his 44 points before Washington’s frustrating 1-2 sent him back. At almost the same point, with almost the same seam direction, Washington beat one ball from the inside edge and the next ball from the outside edge to clear the top of the stumps. For the third time in three asks, Washington hit Rachin Ravindra’s off stump with an almost identical delivery and New Zealand remained delicately balanced at 72 to 3.
The half hour leading up to lunch was a tense one for Young and Mitchell as both edges were regularly threatened. But after lunch the pitch settled down for a little over an hour. With temperatures reaching 37 degrees, high humidity on the coast and slight wind, this session tested everyone’s stamina. Batters wore ice towels or ice packs around their necks and drank beverages once every two innings.
Sometimes when Jadeja slows down the ball spins but he wanted a quick spin. But Young and Mitchell looked relaxed. Sweeps and reverse sweeps were used to good effect, but Young also danced down the wicket to lazily loft the ball. This was Young’s first fifty of the series, although he gave the impression of being the most comfortable batsman of either side.
Washington, Siraj and Ashwin bowled from the opposite ends but Jadeja continued to bowl from his end. By the end of the session, he got what he wanted. It rotates at high speed. Now he was in it. Young caused the turn to slip at 94 kph. After three balls, Blundell saw a ball at his leg and hit it at a speed of 92 kilometers per hour. Dust began to appear more regularly.
India resume their final session with Jadeja and Washington, which will hurt Ashwin’s rivals. Jadeja wasted little time in dismissing Ish Sodhi and Matt Henry simultaneously. Sodhi fell to stay low and Henry was bowled to Jadeja’s slowest delivery of the wicket (90 km per hour).
What the support staff did for Mitchell during the tea break was amazing. That’s because he found enough energy to score three sixes in three Washington overs after struggling to make runs during the middle session.
Rohit Sharma enjoyed some early luck as Will O’Rourke dropped him at long leg, but his attacking mindset meant he put too much effort into his powerful shot when Henry stitched one ball wide. Rohit, who went to England in 2021, had time to bail out, but he has now reached his second slip.
Jaiswal and Shubman Gill weathered the storm to assuage fears of a repeat of what happened in Pune. They even started to dominate the bowling in their 53-run second wicket stand. Then, about 10 minutes into stumps, Jaiswal lost the reverse sweep. He attempted the shot for the first time in Test cricket having previously attempted it 14 times for 36 runs. Ajaz bowled perhaps his best delivery to Mohammed Siraj first, pitching it to leg and hitting it. But for some reason Siraj decided to look into it.
Amid the DRS drama, Kohli entered the series for the first time without applause for the wickets that preceded him. Part-time spinner Ravindra tried the old left-arm spinner full toss trick, but Kohli used a boundary to get past the lethal delivery. This was his downfall in the previous Test. However, despite hitting the ball hard to mid-on, he was unable to make better use of his instinct to run with his shot. The only way Kohli could have survived was if Henry had misfielded or missed. It was the same with him.
Sidharth Monga is a senior writer at ESPNcricinfo.
