Home captain Virat Kohli opted for spin from both ends to start the third day and New Zealand were soon robbed of the slight advantage they held after resuming on 152 for one in reply to India’s 318.
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For a team that had bowled well and batted sensibly in unfamiliar conditions, the third day couldn’t have been any worse for New Zealand.
Perhaps the motive behind the move was that New Zealanders’ footwork was cagey against off-spin and a left-hander in Santner was also at the crease.
After Ravichandran Ashwin had removed Mitchell Santner, it was the Ravindra Jadeja show as the left-arm spinner picked up three wickets in five balls to reduce to 258/9. By the end of this run-less streak – which actually lasted 33 balls – New Zealand had lost Tom Latham and Ross Taylor. Their batting coach Craig McMillan explained on Friday evening that Latham and Williamson’s plan was to not allow a bowler bowl 12-15 balls at the same person. New Zealand were now reeling at 170/4 in just eight overs. The wicket is a good batting wicket. Things were different here. The move paid off as both spinners drew sufficient bite from the pitch to trouble the well-set New Zealand duo. Ronchi was the aggressive of the two as he counter attacked Indian spinners. His sweep shots against the spinners were ideal and drove the pacers with equal confidence. Much like Latham, Taylor (0) also failed to get to the pitch of the ball, and paid the price for it. Replays suggest that the ball would have gone on to hit the middle and leg stumps. He was never in an undue hurry to get his runs. Murali Vijay and Cheteshwar Pujara put on 112 (1st innings) and an unbroken 107 (2nd innings) and 124 by Kane Williamson and Tom Latham in the 1st innings. The New Zealand tail has been exposed now. Latham hit five fours and faced 137 deliveries.
Perhaps unclear to him, Jadeja did let slip his secret. India, who came in to bat after New Zealand were allout for 262, scored at quick rate to end the day at 159/1, extending their lead to 215. “Having played so much on them, I’ve got an idea now (of what to do on them)”. The Indian spinners were not to be denied, though.
Ravindra Jadeja picking up five wickets and R. Ashwin four was an act in sync perfectly with the script that finds favour with the well-wishers of the team.
India’s tail was up now, but, instead of keeping the pressure on, Kohli, surprisingly, took Jadeja out of the attack, brought the part-timer Murali Vijay on, before Umesh Yadav was given a relatively long spell.
Santner and Watling battled on well, putting on 36 runs for the sixth wicket, helped by the fact that Yadav and Shami were given the ball at the start of the second session – it’s nearly as if Kohli feels obligated to use his faster bowlers, when, really the spinners are the only ones the ball should have been tossed to.
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It started raining heavily at 2.15pm and lasted around half an hour.
