New Zealand had scored 68 runs that season and are now 148 runs behind India’s first innings total of 345.
Fast bowler Umesh Yadav provided a major boost for India by cheaply removing rival skipper Kane Williamson as New Zealand made lunch at 197 for 2 on the third day of the first Test.
The second new ball did the trick as Umesh pitched a pitch over the line of stump, which cut short enough to find Williamson’s pads when he was showing signs of reaching 18 off 64 balls.
New Zealand had scored 68 runs that season and are now 148 runs behind India’s first innings total of 345.
Opener Will Young (89 off 214 balls) missed out on what would have been his maiden Test century, as Ravichandran Ashwin (28-7-57-1) delivered the much-needed breakthrough.
Young’s senior partner Tom Latham had hardly any focus during those first two hours, remaining unbeaten on 82. He faced 239 balls so far and hit 10 fours.
Williamson looked a bit shaky at the start to rest his nerves before hitting Ravindra Jadeja (20-6-44-0) for a few boundaries.
The pitch on the third day did not change its character which actually became a problem for India’s left-arm spinners Jadeja and Axar Patel (14-2-33-0), who needed little assistance off the track to trouble the batsmen. the wanted. ,
The only Indian bowler who seemed to break was Ashwin, who eventually gave Young an edge in the hands of substitute keeper Srikar India.
For a change, unlike Latham, Young’s appeal for a DRS review faltered, but not before he added 151 runs for the starting stand.
Young had hit 15 boundaries in the best innings of his career, but it was Latham who really took off from where he left on Friday evening, continued to defend well on the front-foot and took any chances available. Penalized loose ball.
In fact, he charged up the track and also smacked Axar for a boundary at mid-on and a rasping square cut off Umesh (11.3-3-30-1) to propel him into the 80s.
During the session, Ashwin was seen directly involved in an animated discussion with umpire Nitin Menon as he decided to come round the wicket against Williamson and was seen walking into dangerous territory on his follow-through.
The intention was to create some rough with the spikes of his bowling in this area, where if the ball lands, it lands away from Latham.
Umpire Menon understood the motive and spoke to Ashwin and captain Ajinkya Rahane and after some discussion things got back to normal.
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