India-New Zealand test series: India fail spin test
India’s inadequacies against quality spin bowling stood thoroughly exposed, leaving the side staring at its first ever home Test series loss to New Zealand after the visitors claimed a formidable 301-run lead on day two of the second Test here on Friday.
Tom Latham (86) led New Zealand’s charge with the bat after Mitchell Santner’s brilliant 7/53 destroyed India. His knock consolidated a handy 103-run first-innings lead that the Kiwis had grabbed before reaching 198/5 at stumps.
1,000 Yashasvi Jaiswal became the youngest Indian to score 1,000 Test runs in a single calendar year during the Day 2 of the second Test against New Zealand
Tom Blundell (30 not out) had Glenn Phillips (7 not out) for company when stumps were drawn. The only silver lining for India was Washington Sundar’s continuing good show. He completed 11 wickets in the match, adding four more to his career-best first-innings haul of seven.
New Zealand are looking at a historic maiden Test series win in India, having first come here in 1955-56.
None of the New Zealand batters faced any apparent trouble batting on the pitch shortly after the star-studded Indian line-up cut a sorry figure for the second time in this series, making elementary mistakes.
In the last Test in Bengaluru, their all-time lowest score at home of 46 all-out caused India’s first loss to New Zealand in 36 years in their own backyard.
Skipper Latham led from the front as he blunted the Indian spinners with ease but New Zealand batters deserved full credit for executing their plans.
The Kiwis’ batters were formidable in defence while they rotated the strike deftly to keep pressure on the Indians.
Latham did well to raise hopes for a first century since December 2022 but Washington Sundar ended his progress at 86 off 133 balls with 10 fours.
Every added run tightened the screws further on India whose spinners appeared to have been out-bowled by their Kiwi counterparts.
While Sundar completed his maiden 10-for in Tests with 4/56 after his 7/59 in the first innings, R Ashwin took 1/64. Ravindra Jadeja (11-1-50-0) continued to be wicket-less in the game wherein spinners have ruled the roost. While Santner’s orthodox spin tested the Indians’ defence and resolve, India’s failure to rotate strike added to their woes.
Shocking to get Kohli out off full toss, says Mitchell Santner
Pune: Having spun the second Test and, perhaps, the series in New Zealand’s favour with his career-best 7/53, Mitchell Santner admitted it was ‘shocking’ to clean up Virat Kohli on a full toss here on Friday. Santner’s seven-for handed New Zealand a handy 103-run lead in the first innings on a low, slow surface, which the Kiwis stretched to 301 by end of play.
The left-arm spinner’s outstanding spell included the scalp of Kohli as India collapsed to 156 all out in the first innings. “I was in more of a shock getting Kohli out off the full toss. He doesn’t usually miss those,” Santner replied when asked how much he enjoyed getting India’s premier batter out in the manner he did. “It was slightly slower through the air. I just tried to change it up a little bit, but usually if you bowl those, they go for six. There was obviously a little bit there which was nice and the change of pace was key today,” he said.
Scoreboard
New Zealand 1st Innings 259
India 1st innings 156
Y Jaiswal c Daryl Mitchell b Phillips 30
Rohit Sharma b Southee 0
Shubman Gill lbw b Santner 30
Virat Kohli b Santner 1
Rishabh Pant b Glenn Phillips 18
S Khan c O’Rourke b Santner 11
Ravindra Jadeja lbw b Santner 38
R Ashwin lbw b Santner 4
Washington Sundar not out 18
Akash Deep b Santner 6
Jasprit Bumrah lbw b Santner 0
Extras: (Nil) 0
Total: (All out in 45.3 overs) 156
FOW: 1-1, 2-50, 3-56, 4-70, 5-83, 6-95, 7-103, 8-136, 9-142
Bowling O M R W
Tim Southee 6 1 18 1
William O’Rourke 3 2 5 0
Ajaz Patel 11 1 54 0
Glenn Phillips 6 0 26 2
Mitchell Santner 19.3 1 53 7
New Zealand 2nd Innings
Tom Latham lbw b Sundar 86
Devon Conway lbw b Sundar 17
Will Young lbw b Ashwin 23
Rachin Ravindra b Sundar 9
Daryl Mitchell c Jaiswal b Sundar 18
Tom Blundell batting 30
G Phillips batting 9
Extras: (LB-3, NB-3) 6
Total: (For 5 wickets in 53 overs) 198
FOW: 1-36, 2-78, 3-89, 4-123, 5-183
Bowling O M R W
Washington Sundar 19 0 56 4
Ravichandran Ashwin 17 1 64 1
Jasprit Bumrah 6 1 25 0
Ravindra Jadeja 11 1 50 0
