Ajinkya Rahane added 40 before edging Santner to slip where Ross Taylor took an excellent diving catch, but Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja put on an unbroken 100 in 18.3 overs to allow India to declare on 377 for five. The all-rounder took a single to get to the mark, but even as Virat Kohli gestured for the team to return to the dressing room – the focus of the cameras stayed on the Gujarat star. He unfurled his trademark swords dance celebration after getting to the milestone before Kohli called his team in to have a cup of tea before beginning their second crack at the New Zealand batsmen.
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Off-spinner Mark Craig then dismissed India skipper Kohli when he attempted a slog-sweep that found Ish Sodhi at deep-midwicket.
Vijay and Pujara batted for about 10 overs together before left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner broke the 133-stand between them by trapping the former.
The highest fourth innings’ total in Kanpur is 240 by India against West Indies in 1958, which the hosts lost by 203 runs.
Ashwin also had skipper Kane Williamson dismissed lbw to claim his 200th Test wicket on the fourth day to give India a firm grip in the first of the three Tests.
India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin became the second-fastest man to 200 Test wickets and helped India close in on victory in Kanpur.
Santner completed his fifty but was then served a almost unplayable ball from Ashwin, which pitched way outside the leg-stump, turned and bounced viciously to kiss the shoulder of the bat and nestle in Rohit Sharma’s waiting hands at silly point.
When asked by a Kiwi journalist what was the trick to get the visiting batsmen out consistently, Ashwin replied, “To be honest it is one of the better wickets that New Zealand people probably can get”. “The challenge from the opposition is always good”.
This is merely the first match in a 13-Test home season for India, and with their last home series against South Africa having pitches created to aid spin bowling, there have been questions raised about whether that will be the template that Virat Kohli, the captain, and Anil Kumble, the coach, stick to. For example, Williamson was playing really well. “Looking back and feeling sour is not the right way to go about it”, he said.
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Wicketkeeper BJ Watling left the field while New Zealand were bowling but Jurgenson believes he will be fit enough to bat: “I think he’ll be assessed over the next 24 hours”. We still have six wickets in hand and India showed that it’s easier to score runs if you get a partnership going. “Be greedy in terms of what you want to achieve, but preparing for a Test, you have to take it one day at a time”, he added.
