Earlier India’s spinners claimed nine wickets between them to bowl New Zealand out for 262. Pujara scored his second half century of the match which has put India at a commanding position with 215-run lead over New Zealand.
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Keeping in mind how the visitors lost their last five wickets for just 24 runs, the chances of a fightback look bleak, especially against the two rampaging Indian spinners.
Overnight batsmen Cheteshwar Pujara, who scored 78, and Murali Vijay earlier put on 133 for the second wicket for the hosts, who are playing their 500th Test.
In doing so, the duo played some attractive shots, particularly Williamson, as he struck seven boundaries in his 115-ball stay.
Vijay was 64 not out in Kanpur and Pujara undefeated on 50. “We got four wickets in the morning session and that was game-changing”, Jadeja after end of third day’s play yesterday. The umpires called for tea break, immediately after Rahul’s wicket.
Welcome to our live cricket blog for Day 4 of the 1st Test between India and New Zealand at Kanpur. Overall also, Ashwin kept asking questions like that throughout the first innings. Three overs later, New Zealand felt the full force of Jadeja.
An early start, after the entire third session on Day 2 was lost due to rain, was just the tonic India needed as R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja bowled with a goal and plenty of venom. However, they remained ineffective and the ball was given to Ashwin, who responded with the wicket of Mitchell Santner (32).
Key figures in opener Tom Latham (58) and experienced head Ross Taylor were both undone by a lack of turn. Trent Boult (0) denied Jadeja but was caught at short leg off the last delivery, the ball clipping his boot on its way to Rohit Sharma at short leg.
Rather predictably, Kane Williamson attacked with spin from both ends when India resumed on 159 for one and the slow bowlers, thriving on a fourth day surface, did not let the New Zealand skipper down. Latham, expecting the ball to turn away, was bringing down his bat to block. The Kiwis had added only seven runs to their overnight total at that time.
Williamson then joined Latham in the middle and the duo ensured that the visitors lost no more wickets before lunch. Williamson stayed back and attempted to pat Ashwin through the covers but he produced enough spin on the delivery to deceive him and rattle the stumps.
Perhaps the rationale behind the move was that New Zealanders’ footwork was cagey against off-spin and a left-hander in Santner was also at the crease. It had perhaps needed a special delivery to get Williamson out in the form he was in, and Ashwin had produced just that.
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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.
