Ind vs NZ, 2nd Test: Ajaz Patel records best bowling figures against India
India finally declared at 276/7 setting New Zealand a target of 540 when Ajaz dismissed Jayant Yadav out caught and bowled picking up his 4th wicket of the innings and 14th wicket of the match.
New Delhi: Visitors are staring at defeat against mighty hosts as they need to score 527 runs with 9 wickets remaining on Day 3 of the ongoing second Test here at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai on Sunday.
Resuming at 142/2 post lunch Shubman Gill kept the scoreboard moving along with skipper Virat Kohli and the duo took India’s total beyond the 150-run mark. The duo hardly faced any difficulty in facing the Kiwi spinners Rachin Ravindra and William Somerville reaching the fifty-run partnership.
Kohli-Gill took India’s lead beyond 450-run mark. Gill once again failed to make a big score after getting set as he was caught in short extra-cover by Tom Latham of Rachin Ravindra’s bowling. The first wicket was bagged by a Kiwi bowler in the match apart from Ajaz Patel.
Playing only his 2nd Test match local lad Shreyas Iyer walked in with aggressive intent and went on to hit a six in the third ball of the innings towards mid-wicket. Iyer followed up with that six with another maximum in the very next ball to William Somerville.
Unfortunately, Iyer’s stay did not last long as in the next over Ajaz Patel got him out stumped by wicket-keeper Tom Blundell for just 14. In the next over the visitors got the prized scalp of Virat Kohli as the Indian skipper played on an away going delivery of Rachin Ravindra. Kohli was out for 36 and his wait for a Test century extends to 14 matches and the last Test ton he scored was way back in November 2019 against Bangladesh.
After Virat’s dismissal, Wriddhiman Saha and Axar Patel started batting aggressively and took India’s lead beyond 500-run mark. Rachin got his third wicket of the innings dismissing Saha for 12. Axar though continued with his big shots taking Rachin Ravindra to the cleaners and in process hitting 4 sixes.
India finally declared at 276/7 setting New Zealand a target of 540 when Ajaz dismissed Jayant Yadav out caught and bowled picking up his 4th wicket of the innings and 14th wicket of the match.
The left arm spinner finished with figures of 14-225 the best bowling figure in Test matches against India and the 2nd best bowling figure by a New Zealander after Sir Richard Hadlee who took 15 wickets conceding 123 runs against Australia in Brisbane in 1985.
Kiwis once again did not get a good start as Ravichandran Ashwin dismissed Tom Latham leg before wicket for just 6 with only 13 runs on the board.
Brief Scores:
India: 325 and 276/4 decl (Mayank Agarwal 62, Cheteshwar Pujara 47, Shubman Gill 47; Ajaz Patel 4-106)
New Zealand: 62 and 13/1 (Will Young 7*, Ravichandran Ashwin 1/4).