IND vs NZ 1st Test Day 3 Report: It was a high-scoring and thoroughly entertaining day of Test cricket at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium as batsmen ran the show.
India took four quick wickets in the morning session, but a partnership of 137 (132) between Rachin Ravindra and Tim Southee completely put the visitors in front, eventually taking a lead of 356 runs.
India replied strongly with the bat to bring down the deficit under 130 runs but lost 3 wickets by the close of play. Day 4 promises to be an exciting one as well. Indian batsmen would look to get into the lead and swell it. But first, they need to cut down the deficit, having lost their top three already.
The first session on day 3 was of two halves. First, the India bowlers made the talk with four wickets, and then Rachin and Southee blasted them all around the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. India started the day with relentless spells from Mohammed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah, with Siraj dismissing Daryl Mitchell and Bumrah dismissing Tom Blundell, both batsmen edging to slip. Ravindra Jadeja then made two dents with the wickets of Glenn Phillips and Matt Henry, both bowled after being beaten on the inside edge.
Rachin gave the pacers the due respect in the first hour of play today but then tore into the spinners. If Rachin was aggressive, Southee was merciless. The morning session turned out to be a nightmare for R. Ashwin, who has feasted on the best batsmen in the world in Indian conditions, but he, along with Jadeja and Kuldeep, were being taken to the cleaners. The most destructive of this assault from Rachin and Southee came right before lunch, where they walloped 58 runs in four overs as New Zealand’s lead swelled to 300.
The duo got so into the groove that apart from Bumrah, they were going after every Indian bowler, regularly sending the ball to the boundary. Soon, Rachin brought up his century and Southee his fifty. The control India had gained in the first 90 minutes was lost in the next 45 through a partnership of 137 (132) between Southee and Rachin.
After lunch, though, India took one hour to wrap up the remaining four Kiwi wickets. New Zealand finished with a lead of 356 runs, leaving India a mountain to climb in their second innings.
With not much assistance in the conditions now for the New Zealand pacers, India started off well and motored along briskly; India crossed the 46-run mark without losing a single wicket, while they had lost all 10 in their first innings at this score.
Regular boundaries came off the bats of Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal as the duo added 72 runs in 17 overs before the young left-hander had a rush of blood and got stumped off Ajaz Patel. Rohit, who had hit 8 fours and a six to reach his fifty off 59 balls, departed too, inside-edging a harmless ball from Patel onto his stumps.
India now stood in a precarious position, one from which a loss looked like a likely result. However, instead of going in their shell, Indian batsmen did what they are now known to do: counter-attack. Sarfaraz Khan started the counter-attack and Virat Kohli soon joined in.
The duo belted the Kiwi bowlers, giving the New Zealanders the treatment Rachin and Southee gave the Indians earlier in the day. Both sprinted along comfortably at strike rates between 70 and 100 to raise their century partnership in 101 balls. While Kohli got to his fifty in 70 balls, Sarfaraz was much quicker, reaching the milestone in 42 balls. Kohli skipped down the pitch to tonk Ajaz down the ground while Sarfaraz smoked Ajaz and O’Rourke for three sixes.
India looked in control of the proceeding until the end. However, they were given a massive jolt when Glenn Phillips got Kohli on the last ball of the day, edging through to the keeper. Kohli departed for 70. Sarfaraz remained unbeaten on 70 and India trial by 125 more runs by the end of day 3 with 7 wickets in hand.
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