Early on Sunday, Tim Southee and Kyle Jamieson had reduced India to 51/5. However, mature partnerships with Shreyas Iyer, Ravichandran Ashwin, Wriddhiman Saha, and Axar Patel propelled the hosts to a nearly insurmountable 294-run lead. In the second innings, New Zealand lost Will Young, and they were 14/1 at stumps.WW
Wasim Jaffer said after the day’s play that India would be glad to see New Zealand try to chase the total, but that they are unlikely to succeed. Day 5 is “looking down” for the Black Caps, he said.
“275 (280) on the last day is always going to be tough and I think they (India) knew that and that is the reason why they probably declared. And they would be happy if New Zealand goes for runs. That will give them a chance to pick wickets. On a pitch like this, if somebody just goes into the defensive mode it might get a bit difficult. But India knows that New Zealand will only try and bat out for a draw which will make them have three-four guys around the bat and you know, it’s looking down for New Zealand from hereon.”
While Iyer and Saha’s 65 and 61 respectively were crucial, it was Ashwin’s cameo of 32 (62) that turned the game around. His aggressive intent, which featured five boundaries, put the visitors under pressure, allowing the Indian dressing room to relax. Young was also Ashwin’s victim for the second time in the match, however this time due to a series of unlucky incidents.
Ajinkya Rahane
Former New Zealand spinner Daniel Vettori chimed in on Wasim Jaffer’s arguments during the same conversation. He conceded that India might have been better off attacking more before declaring, but that Ajinkya Rahane and his team will be happy with the outcome.
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