Ajaz triggers late India collapse

New Zealand are bowled out for just 235 in the first innings

Mohammed Siraj is out lbw to give Ajaz Patel his second wicket. Photo: BCCI

New Zealand spinner Ajaz Patel claimed two wickets as India were reduced to 86/4 at stumps on day one of the final Test in Mumbai.

In reply to 235, Indian batter were cruising along with 78/1. However, Ajaz produced two moment of magic followed by a Virat Kohli run out, reduced the hosts to 86/4 with Shubman Gill standing tall with an unbeaten 31.

Rohit Sharma enjoyed some early luck as Will O'Rourke dropped him at long leg, but his attacking mindset meant he had committed too much to a forceful shot when Henry seamed one ball away. The Rohit that went to England in 2021 would have had time to bail out, but now he just edged it to second slip.

Jaiswal and Shubman Gill weathered the storm to assuage fears of a repeat of what happened in Pune. They even began to dominate the bowling in a 53-run second-wicket stand. Then, with about 10 minutes to stump, Jaiswal was beaten on the reverse-sweep, the first time he has got out to the shot in Test cricket having tried it 14 times previously for 36 runs. Ajaz then bowled perhaps his best delivery to Mohammed Siraj first up, pitching on leg and hitting off. For some reason, though, Siraj decided to review it.

Amid the DRS drama, Kohli walked in for the first time this series without an applause for the wicket preceding him. Part-time spinner Ravindra tried the old left-arm-spinner-full-toss trick but Kohli got past the lthal delivery - it had been his downfall in the previous Test - with a boundary. However, he couldn't get the better of his own instinct of running with the shot despite hitting the ball firmly enough to mid-on. The only way Kohli could survive this was if Henry misfielded or missed. He did neither.

Earlier, Spinners Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar shared nine wickets between them as India bowled out New Zealand for 235 on day one of the third Test on Friday.

Will Young made 71 and Daryl Mitchell hit 82 after New Zealand elected to bat first in a bid to sweep the series at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium.

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

Mitchell, who reached his fifty before tea, attempted to anchor the innings after an 87-run fourth-wicket stand with Young before Sundar got him out.

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

Young reached his fifty soon after lunch with a straight six off Sundar.

Jadeja eventually got Young caught at slip and struck again in the space of four deliveries when wicketkeeper Tom Blundell was bowled for a duck.

Fast bowler Akash Deep drew first blood when he trapped left-handed opener Devon Conway lbw for four in the fourth over of the day.

New Zealand skipper Tom Latham, who made 28, and Young then attempted to steady the innings in a partnership of 44 for the second wicket, before Sundar broke through.

Off-spinner Sundar came around the wicket to the left-handed Latham, who came forward to defend a delivery that pitched and straightened to rattle the off-stump.

Sundar again brought the crowd to their feet when he bowled left-handed Rachin Ravindra -- who leads the batting charts in the series with 252 runs -- for five.

The Black Caps sealed a first-ever Test series triumph on Indian soil last week with victory in the second match in Pune.

RELATED

Load Next Story