Ind vs NZ Day 3: Pujara, Vijay score respective 50s; India in control
Kanpur: While New Zealand went into the match with the upper hand, India completely turned the tables around, taking complete control of the game by the end of the day's play.
Indian spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja did brilliantly in the first and the second sessions of the day, picking up nine New Zealand wickets among themselves, to restrict the guests to a score of 262.
This ensured that the Indians went into their second innings with a significant 56-run lead. The hosts started off in good fashion as well, with Murali Vijay and KL Rahul scoring the easy runs off the Kiwis.
The untimely dismissal of Rahul just before tea did get a few alarm bells ringing, but Cheteshwar Pujara came in to stabilise the innings for the hosts. The duo posted an unbeaten 107-run partnership, to take India's lead to 215 runs by the end of the day's play.
Both Vijay and Pujara scored their respective half centuries, as India took complete control of the game.
Scorecard:
New Zealand: 262 all out (Latham 58, Williamson* 75; Jadeja 5-73, Ashwin 4-93)
India: 159/1 (Vijay 64, Pujara 50; Sodhi 1-29)
India lead by 215 runs.
India: 159/1 from 47 overs
Pujara converts his Duleep trophy form into important runs for India in the first Test against New Zealand. Brings up his second fifty of the match with a brisk single on the leg side. While he has slowed down his scoring rate over the course of his innings, Pujara still has the distinction of scoring 32 of his 50 runs from boundaries.
India: 144/1 from 40.1 overs
Both the batsmen have settled in comfortably, and are ticking the scoreboard on, at a steady pace. They are scoring at the rate of 4.17 runs per over. Pujara (40) is also closing in on his second half century of the match.
India: 120/1 from 32 overs
Murali Vijay brings his second fifty of the Test, as he pushes Guptill's ball down to long-on. This is the 20th fifty for Vijay.
India: 103/1 from 27 overs
Cheteshwar Pujara is taking the attack to the NZ bowlers, scoring 20 runs off 21 balls. Meanwhile, Murali Vijay is playing the sheet-anchor role, just picking off the loose balls.
TEA! Rahul and Vijay had gotten India off to a good start in their second innings, before the former threw his wicket away at the score of 38. However, India are in the driving seat right now, with a 108-run lead.
India: 52/1 from 10 overs
WICKET! KL Rahul (38) departs just before the umpires call for tea. Ish Sodhi picks up the the first wicket of the NZ innings. It seemed like a moment of loss in concentration for Rahul, as he edged an easy catch for Ross Taylor at first slip, off a routine leg-spinner.
India: 33/0 from 10 overs
Indian openers are off to a brisk start. While Murali Vijay has been watchful, KL Rahul has played some crisp shots to score some quick runs. Although the pitch has started to offer more help to the spinners, Rahul has shown the willingness to use his feet and thwart the spinners.
New Zealand: 262 all out from 95.5 overs
WICKET! India have wrapped up the NZ innings extremely quickly after lunch. Ashwin's delivery dipped on Watling, who danced down the track, to probe it away for a single. However, the ball caught the edge of his bat, and looped straight towards Ashwin, who did well to take a diving catch. India have done well to restrict NZ to 262 in the first innings. The hosts carry a 56-run lead into the second innings. This was a marvellous comeback by the Indians, after Williamson and Latham gave the Kiwis a good start.
New Zealand: 258/9 from 94.2 overs
WICKET! He could not get a hattrick, but Jadeja picks up his fifth wicket of the innings. Boult attempts a defensive probe at a Jadeja delivery, but it catches the edge of his bat, bounces off his boot, and darts off towards Rohit Sharma at silly point. Sharma takes a smart catch.
New Zealand: 258/8 from 94.2 overs
WICKET! Jadeja picks up two wickets in as many balls. Gets Sodhi out LBW. The New Zealand tail has been exposed now. Jadeja on a hattrick!
New Zealand: 258/7 from 94.2 overs
WICKET! Back-to-back wickets for India. Jadeja strikes this time! The uneven bounce on the Kanpur pitch is terrorising the NZ batsmen. Beat Craig (2) all ends up.
New Zealand: 257/6 from 92 overs
WICKET! Ashwin continues his good work, as he picks up Santner's wicket. The good length ball, which pitched around the middle stump, took a wicked turn, and caught the edge of Santner's bat, on its way to Saha's gloves. There seems to be some controversy about the webbing of the India wicketkeeper's gloves, though.
New Zealand: 238/5 from 85 overs
LUNCH! While India have managed to pick up four wickets in the first session, New Zealand have scored a few quick runs, to leave the match finely balanced at the moment. The next session is important for both the teams, if they want to get a stronghold on the game.
Kohli decides to take the new ball. Shami into the attack.
New Zealand: 219/5 from 79.1 overs
WICKET! Jadeja provides the breakthrough! Ronchi (38) goes for the big sweep, but gets undone by the turn on the ball, which goes on to hit his back-leg. The Indians instantly go up in appeal, as the umpire raises his finger. Replays suggest that the ball may have gone on to miss off stump.
New Zealand: 207/4 from 73.4 overs
CHANCE! Jadeja beats Ronchi all ends up, with turn and bounce. The NZ batsman's foot was momentarily out of the crease, as Wriddhiman Saha whips off the bails. However, replays suggest that Ronchi got his foot back inside the line just in time. "Not Out," says the Third Umpire!
New Zealand: 197/4 from 66 overs
DRINKS! India are certainly on the front foot this morning, but Ronchi (24) and Santner (9) have stabilised things a bit. The duo are playing some good attacking shots, in an effore to dissuade Kohli from setting an attacking field.
New Zealand: 170/4 from 52.3 overs
WICKET! Ravichandran Ashwin is on a roll! Completely bowls NZ captain Williamson (75) over with his turn and bounce. India are right back in the game now.
New Zealand: 160/3 from 52.3 overs
WICKET! The is a perfect start to Day 3 for India! Jadeja gets the second wicket of the day, as he gets Ross Taylor (LBW). Much like Latham, Taylor (0) also failed to get to the pitch of the ball, and paid the price for it. Replays suggest that the ball would have gone on to hit the middle and leg stumps.
New Zealand: 159/2 from 51.5 overs
WICKET! India get the early breakthrough that they wanted. Ashwin privides the home team with their first wicket of the game, as he Latham (58) is out LBW. Latham pays for his poor footwork.
Preview:
New Zealand are firmly on the front foot, ahead of Day 3 of their first Test against India, at the Green Park, in Kanpur, on Saturday.
Tom Latham and Kane Williamson have stabilised the New Zealand innings, after India pacer Umesh Yadav picked up th early wicket of Martin Guptill.
The New Zealand duo have notched up a 117-run partnership, taking the Kiwis’ score to 152/1. The Kiwis now trail India by 166 runs, with nine wickets remaining, which puts them in a good position to take a big lead in the first innings.
The New Zealand bowlers made the most impact in the third session of Day 1. However, India are yet to bowl in the post-Tea session, after the weather Gods played spoilsport after Tea on Friday.
The Kanpur pitch has shown that it has something on offer for the spinners, and the Indian duo of R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja would be crucial to the hosts, if they are to bowl the New Zealanders out quickly.
