India bulldozes ahead after spin twins strike
India had lost its second wicket at 154 in its first innings, and New Zealand’s innings followed that template. Ross Taylor lasted two balls before Jadeja won a marginal leg-before decision, and Ashwin bowled a delivery fitting the occasion and the batsman, knocking over Williamson’s stumps with one that spun back in so sharply from outside the fifth stump, that even the New Zealand skipper’s mastery was not enough to cover. Suddenly, New Zealand had lost three wickets in 23 balls and was in danger of collapsing.
Luke Ronchi and Mitchell Santner averted that possibility, mixing enterprise with putting their heads down to build a 49-run stand. Ronchi was the more aggressive, using his feet to the spinners and keeping his intent positive. Santner wasn’t always reading the ball well, but was stout-hearted and willing to stick through the tough periods. Ronchi was adjudged lbw when he missed a sweep against Jadeja, halting New Zealand’s fightback and ending the innings of the man who had looked the most comfortable against India’s spinners following the dismissals of Latham and Williamson.
BJ Watling joined Santner and the last recognised batting pair also stuck it out, resisting gamely. But Ashwin’s first ball after lunch had Santner reaching and poking through to Wriddhiman Saha, and that opened the sluice gates. New Zealand went from 255 for 5 in 91 overs to 262 all out in 95.5, the Ashwin-Jadeja combination running through the tail. Jadeja had a triple-wicket maiden and Ashwin ended things when Watling was caught and bowled trying to chip and charge.
To pull things back after its rapid collapse, New Zealand needed to make early inroads into the Indian batting line-up. Instead, it ran into KL Rahul continuing his good form, and Vijay and Pujara batting as if they were merely starting from where they had left in the first innings.
Rahul took on the New Zealand bowlers early, as India ran with the momentum it had gathered through the visitor’s quick collapse. After taking a few overs to get his eye in on a pitch that was already very different to the one he had batted on almost three days back, Rahul unfurled the full limited-overs repertoire. There were lofted shots down the ground, inside-out cover-drives, and even a reverse-sweep and an upper-cut. While there were a few balls where the batsmen were not in total control, Rahul’s impetus at the start meant India’s advantage only increased, with no pressure and the space to build a total. Rahul squandered a start once again, cutting Ish Sodhi straight to Taylor at slip to signal tea with India 52 for 1, effectively 108 for 1.
The opening partnership had tilted the game India’s way, but the phase after tea seemed to decisively swing it. Pujara’s intent was even more aggressive than Rahul’s, though both he and Vijay were helped along by New Zealand’s bowlers losing the plot. A succession of long-hops and short balls found the fence with regularity, as the first 2.5 overs after tea brought 30 runs. Any thoughts the New Zealanders had of regrouping during the break and grabbing quick wickets were negated by the fluency Vijay and Pujara showed.
It will need an Indian collapse that outdoes all the mini-ones seen so far in this match, and an exceptional New Zealand batting performance in the fourth innings on a pitch where the ball has begun to hiss and spit, for the visitor to still dream of pulling ahead in the three-Test series.