🏏NZ Tour of India 2024: 2nd Test: 24 to 29 Oct 24, Day 3 - Pg 28 🏏 - Page 29

How ya doin'? New Zealand can dream. History is within reach. India in a fight to protect their great home streak that started in 2013. This is a monumental day either way. If New Zealand seal the deal, what an achievement for a team that was wiped out in Sri Lanka. If India are still alive at stumps today, that would be some comeback.

Pitch report | Dinesh Karthik: With the natural progression of the pitch, it's going to turn more. Cracks have widened slightly more. Looks more abrasive. If you don't have the sweep in your armoury, what you need to do is step out. Santner has a cluster on a good length and you can't deal with that from the crease.

Jadeja is still wicketless in this Test and perhaps he hasn't been able to adjust his pace to suit the conditions. It was only in his last couple of overs before stumps yesterday that he bowled much slower and immediately had Glenn Phillips in a lot of trouble with the ball turning big.

In other news, India announced their squad for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy overnight. What stands out for me is that Kuldeep Yadav has a well-known (to the decision-makers) chronic left groin issue, which will now cost him the Australia tour. Why didn't they sort it out between the T20 World Cup and now instead of keeping him on the bench when he wasn't really considered absolutely necessary either? There is a lot of hope than conviction in the reserves of the squad: Harshit Rana has hardly played first-class cricket, Nitish Reddy averages 21.45 with the bat in FC cricket. The biggest miss is Mohammed Shami, which might mean Jasprit Bumrah can't be rested.

Feeling a little wistful at Ashwin and Jadeja, two of India's greatest match-winners in Test cricket, being outbowled by spinners with two first-class five-fors between them. A lot of fond memories of great performances it brings. The most-feared transition is upon us. Even if these two have a home season or two in them, India need to start grooming the next spinners.

"Did we just get a Razor Ramon reference?! Test cricket truly has it all" BigK, I walked into the persona because someone left a toothpick on my desk (which is the dining table really) yesterday.

BowlingGreggy: "The best thing for us (NZ) is that with a lead of 300 even if India get NZ cheaply and get close, they will still have to bat on day 4. I wouldn't want to bat on this pitch after 4 days of sun! "

Mitchell Santner deserves more than a word of praise. He bowled just the right pace for this pitch, bowled great lengths that didn't allow India to use their feet or go back, and kept using changes of pace and angle to draw variations from the surface. India will look to attack him in the second innings. How he responds to that will determine how easy the win is for New Zealand.

Jadeja to Blundell, OUT

finally a wicket for Jadeja. Nicely bowled. Slows this down, 90ks, dips on him, he plays for the turn, but it goes straight on. Natural variation. Top of middle there

Tom Blundell b Jadeja 41 (83b 3x4 0x6) SR: 49.39

Over 60

Runs Scored: 4

4 0 W 0 0 0

Score after 60 overs

NZ 231-6

Mitchell Santner0(3)Glenn Phillips30(55)

Ravindra Jadeja

15-1-61-1

Jadeja to Santner, out Caught by Bumrah!! Santner c Bumrah b Jadeja 4(16)

Jadeja to Santner, THATS OUT!! Caught!!

Ashwin to Southee, OUT

beaten in the flight, and straight to Rohit. Ashwin might have seen it coming, bowls a quick length ball, Southee looks to guide it fine, gets an edge straight to Rohit at slip

Tim Southee c Sharma b Ashwin 0 (3b 0x4 0x6) SR: 0

End of over 65

1 run • 1 wicket

NZ: 238/8

CRR: 3.66

Ajaz Patel

0 (3b)

Glenn Phillips

33 (66b 4x4)

Ravichandran Ashwin

23-1-90-2

Ravindra Jadeja

17-2-63-2