Connect with us

Latest News

Jadeja, Ashwin run through New Zealand to hand India the advantage

Published

on

Ravindra Jadeja triggered a second-innings collapse for New Zealand [BCCI]

The new and the old of India combined to leave New Zealand effectively at 143 for 9 in their pursuit to prevent their first-ever home whitewash in a series of three or more Tests. It wasn’t going to be an easy target on a pitch that has consumed 29 wickets in two days, but it was a comeback from the nightmare of the final 10 minutes of the first day, which was reminiscent of earlier collapses in the series.

Shubman Gill and Rishab Pant first resurrected the innings with a 90 and a 60, but it took a cameo of 38 off 36 from Washington Sundar to take India’s lead past 25 in the face of a resurgent Ajaz Patel, who took his second five-for in the city of his birth.

The old firm of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja then combined to take seven wickets between them to prevent New Zealand from setting India a massive target on a crumbling pitch. Having lost his mantle as the new-ball bowler in second innings to Washington, Ashwin was instrumental in getting Jadeja to the favourable end and getting him his first wicket with a superb catch running back. However, a serene Will Young’s second fifty in the match and Glenn Phillips’ hitting made sure New Zealand had more than the bare minimum to bowl at.

It was the youth that India were looking to at the start of the day having lost Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli cheaply again. Pant and Gill added 96 at better than five an over to arrest the rot that had set in in on the first evening. Pant, in particular, was severe, not letting the lead spinner Ajaz bowl at all. Overnight 1 off 1, Pant began as he meant to go. Ajaz was too full first ball of the day, which Pant push-drove straight of mid-off, who moved deeper after the boundary. To the second ball, Pant stepped out, and drilled it straight of that deep mid-off, who now moved to long-off. Gill joined him with an inside-out chip over extra cover in Ajaz’s next over.

Then Pant played the lap shot for four to push forward short leg to behind square, promptly offering what could have been catches for the forward short leg the following two balls. It was Pant’s attacking mindset that had forced New Zealand to choose one of the two areas to man. Pant rubbed it in with two sixes in Ajaz’s next two overs.

Gill didn’t want to be left behind. He tried to hit Phillips’ first ball of the day for a six but ended up skying it to long-on where the substitute fielder Mark Chapman gave him a reprieve. That turned his innings around. He proceeded to put his head down and only took the boundaries on offer. He was 45 off 57 when dropped, his remaining 45 came off 89 balls.

Matt Henry dropped Pant too, but this miss cost New Zealand only seven runs as Pant fell lbw to a short ball from Ish Sodhi, who came on to bowl with only 84 runs left in the bank. Phillips, the unlucky bowler, was arguably the steadiest spinner of the three and was instrumental when Ajaz found his groove after lunch with a spell of 8.4-2-27-3.

Ajaz had found the good length, the pitch started to misbehave even more, and the results followed. More than 10 overs went without a boundary, and brought the wickets of Ravindra Jadeja and Sarfaraz Khan, the latter for a duck at his home ground.

Both of them fell to the forward-defensive without reaching the pitch of the ball. Gill decided he was not going to be a sitting duck. He upped his intent by taking on Phillips. However, Ajaz eventually got one to turn from a good length and take the edge for another catch to Daryl Mitchell at slip.

India were still 8 behind. Washington took over now, scoring 14 in a 20-run stand with Ravichandran Ashwin and all of the 16 runs in the final stand with Akash Deep to take the lead past 25.

Washington was given a bigger vote of confidence as he opened the bowling ahead of Ashwin, but it was Akash Deep whose around-the-wicket angle and seam movement got rid of another left-hand opener. India proceeded to operate with the combination of Washington and Ashwin, who got a wicket each, Devon Conway on the forward-defensive and Rachin Ravindra stumped trying to hit a six.

Once the two right-hand batters, Young and Mitchell, got themselves in, all eyes went to Jadeja. Ashwin volunteered to have Jadeja bowl from his end, the end where Jadeja and Ajaz had taken wickets from. Rohit, though, wanted Ashwin to carry on bowling. The partnership swelled, ends were changed, and Jadeja got Mitchell out with more than just a hand from Ashwin, who ran back from mid-on to take a diving catch.

Tom Blundell didn’t survive long, but Phillips hit three sixes in no time at all, two of them off Ashwin, who proceeded to pull out the carrom ball from his back pocket after a long time, knocking back the off stump. It was a surprise that top-order Test batters were not picking the carrom ball: even the accomplished and settled Young was out caught and bowled to one.

Henry and Ajaz hit a six each, but Henry was bowled to an unplayable Jadeja delivery, which turned out to be the last one for the day.

Brief scores:
New Zealand 235 and 171 for 9 in 43.3 overs  (Will Young 51; Ravindra Jadeja 4-52, Ravichandran Ashwin 3-63) lead India 263 (Shubman Gill 90, Rishab Pant 60;  Ajaz  Patel 5-103) by 143 runs

[Cricinfo]



Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Latest News

Al-Assad is in Moscow – Russian state media

Published

on

By

Bashar al-Assad [pic Aljazeera]

Russian state media reports that ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is in Moscow and has been granted asylum after the Russian Foreign Ministry said earlier that he stepped down and left the country.

[Aljazeera]

Continue Reading

Latest News

Ukrainian war dead reaches 43,000, Zelensky says in rare update

Published

on

By

Some 43,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed since Russia’s full-scale invasion began, Volodymyr Zelensky has said in a rare admission of the extent of the nation’s casualties.

In a post on social media, the Ukrainian president said 370,000 others had been injured, though this figure included soldiers who had been hurt more than once.

He also claimed that 198,000 Russian soldiers had been killed and a further 550,000 wounded.

The BBC has not been able to verify either side’s figures.

While both Kyiv and Moscow have regularly published estimates of the other side’s losses, they have been reluctant to detail their own.

[BBC]

Continue Reading

Latest News

Emon, Hakim three-fors help Bangladesh defend U-19 title

Published

on

By

Iqbal Hossain Emon picked three wickets to push India U-19 on the back foot [ACC]

Iqbal Hossain Emon and Azizul Hakim bagged three wickets apiece as Bangladesh defended their Under-19 Asia Cup title with a comfortable 59-run win against India in Dubai.

Chasing 199, India were bowled out for 139 in 35.2 overs, completing a horror Sunday that also saw the men’s Test and women’s ODI sides suffer big defeats.

Electing to field, fast bowler Yudhajit Guha cleaned up Bangladesh opener Kalam Siddiki relatively early for 1. Zawad Abrar struck two fours and a six in his 20 but fell to Chetan Sharma caught behind. Guha then struck again getting rid of captain Azizul Hakim with Bangladesh slipping to 66 for 3 in the 19th over.

Mohammad Shihab James and Rizan Hossan then stitched a 62-run stand for the fourth wicket to resurrect the Bangladesh innings, but wickets in quick succession wrested any momentum they had built.

James departed first on 40 dismissed by Ayush Mhatre in the 32nd over before Debasish Deba fell eight balls later to KP Karthikeya. Raj then bowled Hossan for 47 while Samiun Basir and Al Fahad fell in the space of an over as Bangladesh slipped from 128 for 3 in the 32nd over to 167 for 8 in the 42nd.

Wicketkeeper-batter Farid Hasan and Maruf Mridha added a crucial 30-run stand for the ninth wicket before Bangladesh were all out for 198 in the last over.

India, however, failed to get going in their chase from the outset. Mhatre departed in the second over bowled by Fahad while 13-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi fell in the fifth after hitting two fours. When C Andre Siddharth became Hossan’s first victim, India found themselves struggling at 44 for 3 in the 12th over.

Captain Mohamed Amaan and Karthikeya added a brief 29-run stand for the fourth wicket, but soon Emon ushered a collapse and there was no way back for India. The medium pacer first had Karthikeya caught behind for 21 before striking two balls later to send back Nikhil Kumar for a duck. In his next over, he removed Harvansh Pangalia as India were reduced to 81 for 6 in the 23rd over.

That became 92 for 7 when Fahad removed Kiran Chormale giving ‘keeper Farid his fourth catch of the innings. Amaan and Raj tried to delay the inevitable but once Hakim removed his opposite number in the 32nd over, the game was as good as done.

Hakim picked the last three wickets to spark jubilant scenes in the Bangladesh camp.

Brief score:
Bangladesh U-19 198 in 49.1 overs  (Rizan Hossan 47, Mohamed Shihab James 40, Farid Hasan 39;  Yudhajit Guha 2-29, Hardik Raj 2-41, Chetan Sharmq 2-48,  ) beatIndia U-19 139 in 35.2 overs (Mohamed Amaan 26, Hardik Raj 24; Al Fahad 2-24, Azizul Hakim 3-8, Iqbal Hossain Emon 3-24) by 59 runs

[Cricinfo]

Continue Reading

Trending