Mumbai, India – Nov. 2, 2024:India’s Shubman Gill celebrates scoring fifty runs during 3rd India V/s New Zealand test match at Wankhade Stadium in Mumbai, India, on Saturday, November 2, 2024. (Photo by Anshuman Poyrekar/ Hindustan Times)
India vs New Zealand LIVE Score 3rd Test Day 2: India reached Lunch on Day 2 of the third Test against New Zealand, scoring 195/5 in 43 overs, trailing by 40 runs. Shubman Gill was at the crease on 70 off 106 balls while Ravindra Jadeja was at the other end on 10 off 18. Gill and Rishabh Pant’s quickfire 96-run stand off 114 balls was the defining feature of the first session on Day 2 of the third Test between India and New Zealand. Both players got to their half-centuries quickly, with Pant especially bludgeoning his way to 50 in 36 balls. …Read More
New Zealand slowed things down after the drinks break though, with Ish Sodhi leading the chokehold. Both Gill and Pant were given big reprieves with fielders dropping easy catches off them. However, Sodhi finally ended Pant’s stay by trapping him LBW on 60 off 59 balls. India then sent in Ravindra Jadeja ahead of Sarfaraz Khan despite the Wankhede Stadium being the latter’s domestic ground.
Pant and Gill both got to their fifties within the first hour of play as they put some pressure back on the New Zealand bowlers at the start of Day 2. Gill got to 50 in 66 balls while Pant, who started the day on one run, got there in just 36. Pant was especially belligerent as he took the partnership beyond 50 and took India’s deficit below 100 in just over half an hour after the start of play.
An incredible collapse towards the end of day’s play turned the script on its head, as India went from a position of strength in the third Test match vs New Zealand to once again having their backs against the wall. India go in overnight at 86/4, having been 78-1 with only two overs left in day’s play. The hosts still trail by 149 runs at the Wankhede Stadium, with the pitch likely to get trickier as the ball gets older. These will be concerning signs for the Indian team, who will have been desperate for a win to reverse the two losses they have already suffered.
New Zealand, on the other hand, would have gone from slight concern themselves to sudden elation, watching a quick procession of wickets in the final overs of the day to see their noses ahead entering day two. With the ball already doing plenty for the spinners, and India having shown a weakness against the turning ball in the period following the 20th over, the Kiwis will like their chances of heaping on the pressure onto their opponents and taking a big first innings lead yet again.
India will know they still have plenty of batting in the tank, with Rishabh Pant joining Shubman Gill at the crease and Sarfaraz Khan yet to come, as well as the trio of Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, and Ravichandran Ashwin. However, while they have the depth and quality on paper, the batters will need to reapply themselves and put together strong partnerships following the mini-collapse at the end of day’s play.
From a New Zealand perspective, Ajaz Patel will likely need to bowl the bulk of overs with Mitchell Santner ruled out of this match. While Matt Henry and Will O’Rourke are options for pace-on bowling, their spin depth is slightly weaker, with Tom Latham being hesitant to turn towards Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, and Ish Sodhi, especially with high-quality and aggressive players of spin at the crease.
Shubman Gill is the set batter for India, batting well on 31 off 38 after a testy start to his innings, and will need to go on and score a big innings to help his team’s cause. Rishabh Pant will want to add another big score to the tally after a cheap run out in the previous innings in Pune.
Earlier in the day, India had seemed to be going well in response to New Zealand’s 235. Although Rohit Sharma continued to struggle against pace, falling to a steeply-rising length ball by Matt Henry, Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal steadied the ship, playing positive cricket and never letting the Kiwi spinners settle on a line or length against them. They looked set to head into stumps with their wickets intact, but it was maybe on shot too many by Jaiswal, whose attempted reverse-sweep saw him deceived by a quicker and flatter delivery by Ajaz Patel, his stumps knocked over behind him.
Mohammed Siraj was sent in as a night watchman, but lasted only one ball, caught LBW and burning a review as well in a puzzling decision. Virat Kohli didn’t last long either, as a misguided attempt at a single saw him caught well short of his ground in the last over of the day. Matt Henry hit bullseye from mid-on, taking away Kohli’s chance to get some runs behind his back in this crucial match. These three quick wickets despite a quick and strong start mean New Zealand will be the happier team, and sensing blood in the water before they come out to bowl in the morning.
The Kiwis themselves made the most of fairly difficult conditions, as a strong partnership between Will Young and Daryl Mitchell ensured that they continued to have runs on the board in this series. Akash Deep removed Devon Conway cheaply, before Washington Sundar dismissed Tom Latham and Rachin Ravindra with a pair of corkers any off-spinner would be proud of.
Ravindra Jadeja broke the partnership and made it two wickets in one over as he scalped Blundell. Jadeja went on to register his 14th Test five-fer, overtaking Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma in India’s Test wicket-takers list. Sundar continued his good form with a four-wicket haul, wrapping up the innings with the wickets of Daryl Mitchell and Ajaz Patel.
Highlights from India vs New Zealand 3rd Test Day 2:
– India were 195/5 in 43 overs at Lunch, trailing by 40 runs
– Rishabh Pant was dismissed for 60 off 59 balls by Ish Sodhi
– Rishabh Pant brought up his half-century in 36 balls
– Shubman Gill got to his half-century in 66 balls
– Pant and Gill’s partnership reached 50 in 56 balls
– Rishabh Pant and Shubman Gill made a belligerent start to the day
– India started the day on 86/4 in 19 overs, with Shubman Gill on 31 and Rishabh Pant on one
– India lost three wickets in 10 minutes of madness at the end of the first day’s play
– New Zealand were all out for 235 runs with Ravindra Jadeja picking a five-wicket haul
