Mumbai: Ravindra Jadeja claimed three wickets, including two in an over, but half-centuries by Will Young and Daryl Mitchell helped New Zealand reach 192/6 at tea on the first day of the third and final Test against India at the Wankhede Stadium here on Friday.
Mitchell was batting on 53 at tea with Ish Sodhi on one as New Zealand added 100 runs to their score in the afternoon session, losing three wickets in the process.
Jadeja claimed all three wickets to fall after lunch, breaking the crucial partnership between Young and Mitchell, who raised 89 runs for the fourth wicket as the visitors struggled to cope both with the hot and humid conditions and the Indian bowlers, especially the spinners who extracted good turn from the pitch.
Jadeja ended the fourth wicket partnership when he extracted ample turn with the delivery that landed full just outside the off-stump and took the edge into the hands of Rohit Sharma at first slip. Three balls later, the left-arm spinner had another wicket when he made one turn across Tom Blundell’s bat from the middle stumps and clipped the off.
His third wicket came in the form of Glenn Phillips with a quicker one that slid with the arm and went past the bat to hit the stumps.
After Washington Sundar had rattled the New Zealand first-innings in the morning session by castling skipper Tom Latham (28) and Rachin Ravindra (5) in near-identical fashion as the visitors reached 92/3 at lunch. Akash Deep had provided India with the breakthrough by trapping Devon Conway (4) plumb before wicket with a delivery that swung in a bit and evaded the edge. But New Zealand found their saviours in Young and Mitchell, who struck half-centuries to help the visitors reach a good score.
Going into the afternoon session, New Zealand’s hopes depended on Young and Michell and they did not disappoint, raising 89 runs for the fourth wicket partnership.
Young played cautiously, curbing his early aggressive intent when he had walked out to hoist Ravichandran Ashwin over the wide long-on boundary for a six and swept Sundar to the left of the keeper for a boundary. He then lofted Sundar over his head to bring his fifty off 90 balls. He did survive a couple of close calls as the ball landed in no-man’s land.
The Indian spinners kept him and Mitchell quiet with Sundar bowling consecutive maiden overs while Jadeja troubled them with the turn he extracted from the pitch. In hot and humid conditions, the two Black Caps batters soldiered only, gulping down fluids every three to four overs and applying iced towels and ice packs.
Brief scores:
At tea, Day 1: New Zealand 192/6 in 55 overs (Will Young 71, Daryl Mitchell 53 not out; Washington Sundar 2-50, Ravindra Jadeja 3-53) against India.
–IANS
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