Seasoned left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja clinched his 14th five-wicket haul and Washington Sundar took four as India bowled out New Zealand for 235 on the opening day of the third and final Test of the 2024 series at the Wankhede Stadium here on Friday.
Jadeja claimed 5-65, his double strikes twice coming; Sundar who captured two wickets in each of the morning and the evening sessions while racking 4-81; for Indian bowlers managed their turners to its complete extent.
Well, thanks to Will Young and Daryl Mitchell, who collectively reached the 200 mark after an 89-run stand for the fourth wicket. Young was really a bit careful and patient with his knock that yielded 71 runs, while Mitchell top-scored with 82 runs made off 129. For New Zealand, it took four of their players scoring double figures as New Zealand lost six wickets for 76 runs.
The near-identical dismissal of Tom Latham and Rachin Ravindra by Sundar, after Akash Deep had given India the breakthrough by trapping Devon Conway lbw for four, was the highlight of the morning session as New Zealand reached 92/3 at lunch.
Sundar, brought in as the second change to replace Akash Deep, struck two quick blows to take the initiative for India. He first castled Latham with a superb delivery that landed on the off-stump and straightened, evading the bat and rearranging the furniture. Latham perished for 28 off 44 balls, hitting three boundaries.
The big breakthrough for India came when they sent back Rachin Ravindra cheaply as Sundar repeated the delivery that got Latham, sending this one from wider of the crease to spin past the defensive prod to clip the off stump. This was the third time in a row that Ravindra was bowled by Washington Sundar. New Zealand were 72/3 in the 20th over. Sundar was a bit slack and bowls five no balls while bowling five overs in his first spell.
Young, who has shown his attacking instinct by using his feet and carting Ashwin over wide long-on off for a six and swept Sundar to the left of the keeper for a boundary, continued from the other end and was well-supported by Mitchell as they took New Zealand past the 100-run mark.
Young was a bit fortunate as some edges fell away from the fielders and DRS review by India, but he capitalized on the opportunity. Daryl Mitchell survived when he got a decision for LBW overturned as he gloved it onto his pad. He also struggled with the hot and humid conditions, playing with an ice pack on his shoulder and seeking extra fluids between overs.
Jadeja claimed all three wickets to fall after lunch, breaking the crucial partnership between Young and Mitchell, who raised 89 runs for the fourth wicket as the visitors struggled to cope both with the hot and humid conditions and the Indian bowlers, especially the spinners who extracted good turn from the pitch.
He broke the fourth wicket when he turned enough that ball which was full pitched just outside the off stump and took the edge to the hands of Rohit Sharma at first slip.
Three balls into the day, the left-arm spinner had another wicket as he turned across Tom Blundell's bat from the middle stumps and clipped the off. Glenn Phillips was the third to fall with a quicker one that slid down the leg side with the arm and went past the bat to hit the stumps.
Running out of partners, Mitchell, with his heart in his mouth as a top-edge on a sweep evaded the fielder at the boundary and an inside edge went just wide of Kohli at backward short leg, chanced his arms, hitting three sixes in three overs off Sundar. Then from deep inside the crease came a shortish delivery for a six down the leg side over midwicket, and stepping down wicket for a loft, got Sundar out for two sixes in the 62nd over, swinging over the bowler's head and releasing a huge one over long-off.
Sundar had the last laugh as he sent back Mitchell, who scored 82 off 129 balls, hitting three fours and an equal number of sixes as he bravely hung around at the crease in difficult conditions. New Zealand's innings ended 42 minutes after tea when Ajaz Patel was trapped in front of the wicket as he tried to hit out.
Brief scores:
New Zealand 235 all out in 65.4 overs (Daryl Mitchell 82, Will Young 71; Ravindra Jadeja 5-65, Washington Sundar 4-81) lost to India.
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