Unbeaten fifties from Murali Vijay and Cheteshwar Pujara stretched India’s lead to 215 runs after Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin bundled New Zealand out for 262 runs in 95.5 overs on the third day of the first Test in Kanpur.
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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.
Jadeja, scalping five in Tests for the fifth time, and Ashwin, picking four, bowled the opposition out for 262, giving India a 56-run lead.
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 objective and plenty of venom.
The day began much like day two had prematurely ended, with Ashwin and Jadeja causing plenty of discomfort with their turn and bounce. 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.
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.
Ashwin and Jadeja shared 54 wickets between them in the series, which amounted to 78 percent of the wickets taken by all Indian bowlers.
Then Pujara and Vijay joined hands and a smooth partnership flourished.
Santner and Trent Boult started well with the ball but KL Rahul soon chose to chance his arms at almost everything bowled at him.
New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson (75), who looked solid throughout the second day, was undone by a delivery which turned back sharply.
Ish Sodhi was welcomed with a slider that he didn’t read, and couldn’t get his bat to the ball, that straightened just about enough to strike him on the pads in line with the stumps.
With some newly practiced shots, Tom Latham and Kane Williamson seemed to have put New Zealand in a commanding position on Day 2 but once Ashwin removed Latham after adding just 7 runs to the overnight score, New Zealand seemed to have lost their way in the match.
However, they lost their last nine wickets for just 110 runs as the Asians’ spinners ran riot.
Luke Ronchi and Mitchell Santner were able to settle things down for a period, before Ronchi went lbw for 38 before lunch. Rahul was out for 38.
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With Ronchi gone in the 80 over, India took the new ball at the first opportunity, and Ashwin, after Mohammed Shami’s first over came to nought, expectedly, was given a crack with the shiny cherry.
