The excellent half-century by Rishabh Pant went in vain as India were bowled out for 121 runs in their second innings as New Zealand completed a historical 3-0 whitewash in the three-match series at the Wankhede Stadium here on Sunday.
Chasing 147 to win the third Test on a turning and crumbling track, Pant kept India's hopes alive with a brilliant 64. He was out after pulling India past 100 runs and India lost their way as Ajaz Patel (6-57) and Glenn Phillips (3-42) proved the thorn in their side as the hosts suffered another embarrassing defeat that would also hamper their chances of reaching the World Test Championship final.
With Pant in the middle, India were still 92/6 in 20 overs at lunch on the third day, but still requiring 55 runs to win the match and thus save their pride. Still, Pant fell soon after the resumption, and while Washington Sundar and R. Ashwin kept hopes alive, Ashwin fell to Phillips off the penultimate ball, and sundar was the next batsman to fall in his over. It was the first time a team has whitewashed India in a three-match series.
Ajaz Patel, who had taken 10 wickets in an innings during his last visit to Wankhede, took 11/160. He has now taken 25 wickets in two Tests at the Wankhede, the first visiting spinner to take more than 20 wickets at a venue in India.
India had to chase 147 in the fourth innings to win after the New Zealand second innings ended with just three more runs from the overnight score of 171/9.
Pant restored hope in India and the class innings he displayed when hitting nine boundaries and one six as he kept punching every New Zealand bowler out. He and Ravindra Jadeja aggregated 42 runs for the sixth wicket.
In need of 147 to win, on a pitch that's offering sharp turn and variable bounce, Indian batters showed intent to go all-out aggressive, in a different way from which Pant has batted this morning at the ground.
Things only worsened for India as they were chasing, and India got reduced to 29/5 with Rohit Sharma (11), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Sarfaraz Khan (i) not moving anywhere as India were bundled out to 29/5.
Pant, like in the first innings of this Test, smashed Patel for a huge six, down the track and over the bowler's head. He then pounded two successive boundaries off Phillips, walking down the pitch to drill it straight past the Ish Sodhi at long-on and then swept him fine for another boundary. India reached 50 in the 11th over.
New Zealand might have had Pant for 21 in the 12th over when the left-hander early into a pull at a short one pitched outside off by Patel, the ball going along to hit the back pad. They chose not to review and left shaking their heads when it was up on the big screen that Pant was out.
With Pant in charge, all Jadeja had to do was stay at the wicket but he failed to do that for long as he went to whip it away towards onside and Will Young snapped a diving catch forward short-leg to make it 71/6 which left India with a deficit of 76 runs while they had four wickets in hand to win this match.
Pant holed out Phillips behind for a superb boundary and then hammered Patel for successive fours to bring his fifty off 48 balls before going in for lunch at 92/6. He hit Patel for two boundaries in the second over after lunch but fell on the fourth ball, a faint edge of a forward defence onto the pad that lobbed for Tom Blundell for an easy catch. Ultra-Edge ensured Pant departed for a dazzling 64 off 57 balls. Patel also registered his second fifer of the match.
India had another slice of luck as the ball went off Ashwin's pads to roll onto the stumps but the bails stayed intact as the crowd heaved a sigh of relief. Later, Ashwin attempted an ill-advised reverse and gloved it to Blundell and on the next ball, Akash Deep was castled by Glenn Phillips.
Earlier, starting from the overnight score of 171/9, New Zealand's second innings lasted just 14 balls as only three more runs were added on the third morning with Ajaz Patel getting out trying a slog.
Jadeja claimed his second five-wicket haul of the match, finishing with overall figures of 10-120, his second-best-ever haul after the 10-110 he claimed against Australia at New Delhi in February 2023. This was Jadeja's 15th fifer in 77 Test matches, taking his overall tally to 319.
Brief scores:
New Zealand 235 and 174 all out in 45.5 overs (Will Young 51; Ravindra Jadeja 5-55, R Ashwin 3-63) beats India 263 and 121 all out in 29.1 overs (Rishabh Pant 64, Ajaz Patel 6-57; Glenn Phillips 3-42 ) by 25 runs.
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