For someone who’d just picked a fifer to lead India’s revival on Saturday in the first Test, it would have been easy to boast and get away with it. “That can be hard when someone has such a short run-up, but I thought the guys did that well”, he said.
Advertisement
Rahul, who made an eloquent 32 in the first innings, swept and reverse swept the spinners, evoking raucous cheers from a big turnout at Green Park.
Although this pitch wasn’t a snake pit, it was underprepared.
“He was their main batsman and could have played for a long time”.
“That is one of the keys”, New Zealand batting coach Craig McMillan said.
As wickets continued to tumble, Jadeja dismissed Mark Craig and Sodhi off successive deliveries.
“Their discipline [stood out], they stuck to their game plans and when the Indian bowlers missed, we jumped all over it”. Fall of wickets: 1-52. “So if you play shots against those deliveries, you expose yourself to being leg-before or bowled”.
Once they drew first blood, India had luck and brilliance in equal measure.
Four balls later, a Ravindra Jadeja delivery struck Ross Taylor’s pad as they veteran batsman departed for a duck.
Late on Day 2 the Green Park stripped had soaked in a bit of rain that had wiped out the final session and it was certain that the well set batsmen Kane Williamson and Tom Latham would have an uphill task negotiating the turn and grip of the Day 3 pitch. Ashwin pitched a ball short and wide outside off to which Williamson rocked back in an attempt to play it through off-side but the ball ripped and crashed into his stumps.
Latham had no problem to go down on one knee and sweep the ball behind square and earned almost half of his runs towards that region.
India were progressing towards an afternoon declaration at lunch on the fourth day of their opening test against New Zealand at Kanpur today.
Success begets success, more so against a team that suddenly began looking like a cat on a hot tin roof.
Jadeja collected 5-73, including a triple-wicket maiden, while right-arm spinner Ravi Ashwin took four wickets to emphatically turn the tables after New Zealand had won four of the first five sessions.
A lead of 56 was enough to not just give India a boost but rattle the Kiwis.
Not bad for someone who was never considered to be a genuine Test match bowler even while making his presence felt for India in the limited-over formats.
Later, India finished the day at 159/1, with Cheteshwar Pujara (50 not out) and Murali Vijay (64 not out) scoring half centuries.
Advertisement
With two days more left in the game, chances of a result are very high with India holding the edge over the visitors.
