MUMBAI: With Virat Kohli run out for four, India were in deep trouble at 86-4 in their reply after spinners Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar helped bowl out New Zealand for 235 on day one of the third Test in Mumbai on Friday.

Around 15 minutes before stumps, India were cruising at 78-1 but a rapid fall of wickets turned their fortunes around as New Zealand scented the chance of a clean sweep — they sealed their first-ever Test series triumph on Indian soil last week with victory in the second match in Pune.

The hosts trailed New Zealand by 149 runs at the close of a fast-paced day one at the Wankhede Stadium, where the pitch offered early turn to the spinners.

Shubman Gill, on 31, and Rishabh Pant, on one, were batting at the close after New Zealand’s Mumbai-born spinner Ajaz Patel struck twice in two balls in a chaotic end to the day.

Ajaz bowled Yashasvi Jaiswal for 30 while attempting a reverse sweep, and then India’s ploy of sending a nightwatchman failed as Mohammed Siraj fell, trapped lbw on the next ball. Siraj also burned a review.

New Zealand’s biggest celebration, however, came in the next over when a direct throw from Matt Henry at mid-on ran out Kohli for four, the Indian talisman setting off for a reckless single.

Jadeja told reporters that “everything happened in 10 minutes”, and the team “did not get time to react”.

“We cannot blame any individual. Everyone makes some small mistake,” he added, saying the team must “build partnerships” to not only close in on 230, but “to go beyond that.”

Skipper Rohit Sharma was the first to go, when he edged a delivery from pace bowler Henry to be caught at second slip for 18.

The left-handed Jaiswal and Gill put on 53 to resist the opposition spinners, but Ajaz broke through.

New Zealand top-scorer Daryl Mitchell, who hit 82, said he expected day two “will be a big session”, and that the visitors were hoping to “take a few more” wickets on Saturday morning.

Mitchell said New Zealand were “lucky to build some pressure”, and that the match was still “evenly-balanced”.

Earlier, New Zealand batsmen Will Young made 71 and Mitchell hit his 12th Test half-century after the tourists elected to bat first.

Jadeja bagged 5-65 with his left-arm spin. Off-spinner Sundar took four — including the final two batsmen, Mitchell and Ajaz — to wrap up the innings in 65.4 overs in the final session.

“Taking a five-wicket haul for India in test cricket is always special,” Jadeja said. “I felt good that I got wickets when the team needed a breakthrough. It wasn’t easy to bowl in the heat. But we did well as a team.”

Mitchell attempted to anchor the innings after an 87-run fourth-wicket stand with Young before Sundar got him out.

In the hot and humid conditions, Mitchell needed regular drinks and ice packs during his 129-ball knock, which included three fours and three sixes.

Jadeja struck regular blows and took two wickets in one over twice in the innings, to register his 14th five-wicket haul in Tests.

That included having Young caught at slip before bowling wicketkeeper Tom Blundell for a duck a few balls later.

Devon Conway was out for four before New Zealand skipper Tom Latham, who made 28, and Young attempted to build the innings in a partnership of 44 for the second wicket.

Off-spinner Sundar came around the wicket to dismiss the left-handed Latham, before then bowling left-handed Rachin Ravindra, who leads the batting charts in the series with 252 runs, for five.

Scoreboard

NEW ZEALAND (1st Innings):T. Latham b Sundar 28D. Conway lbw Deep 4W. Young c Sharma b Jadeja 71R. Ravindra b Sundar 5D. Mitchell c Sharma b Sundar 82T. Blundell b Jadeja 0G. Phillips b Jadeja 17I. Sodhi lbw Jadeja 7M. Henry b Jadeja 0A. Patel lbw Sundar 7W. O’Rourke not out 1EXTRAS (B-1, LB-3, NB-9) 13TOTAL (all out, 65.4 overs) 235FALL OF WICKETS: 1-15 (Conway), 2-59 (Latham), 3-72 (Ravindra), 4-159 (Young), 5-159 (Blundell), 6-187 (Phillips), 7-210 (Sodhi), 8-210 (Henry), 9-228 (Mitchell)BOWLING: Siraj 6-0-16-0, Deep 5-0-22-1 (1nb), Ashwin 14-0-47-0, Sundar 18.4-2-81-4 (5nb), Jadeja 22-1-65-5 (3nb)INDIA (1st Innings):Y. Jaiswal b Patel 30R. Sharma c Latham b Henry 18S. Gill not out 31M. Siraj lbw Patel 0V. Kohli run out 4R, Pant not out 1EXTRAS (NB-2) 2TOTAL (for four wickets, 19 overs) 86FALL OF WICKETS: 1-25 (Sharma), 2-78 (Jaiswal), 3-78 (Siraj), 4-84 (Kohli)STILL TO BAT: S. Khan, R. Jadeja, R. Ashwin, W. Sundar, A. DeepBOWLING: Henry 5-1-15-1 (1nb), O’Rourke 2-1-5-0, Patel 7-1-33-2, Phillips 4-0-25-0, Ravindra 1-0-8-0 (1nb)UMPIRES: Michael Gough (England), Richard Illingworth (England)TV UMPIRE: Paul Reiffel (Australia)MATCH REFEREE: David Boon (Australia)

Published in Dawn, November 2nd, 2024