Finance
Captain Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal kept India on track, reaching 57/0 in 15 overs at tea after New Zealand secured a 356-run first-innings lead on day three of the first Test at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Friday.
Jaiswal (29 not out) and Rohit (27 not out) helped India get a good start in the second innings after being 46 all out in the first. However, with clouds looming and unpredictable bounce on offer, they must persevere in the final session to get back into the match.
Rohit seemed more secure in his second innings, flicking Matt Henry for two leg-side boundaries. After he and Jaiswal removed a border from the boundaries, Rohit welcomed Ajaz Patel with a four, followed by Jaiswal piercing the gaps with his cuts and drives to get four boundaries before tea break arrived.
Earlier, an excellent 134 from Rachin Ravindra – his second Test century – helped New Zealand take a lead of 356 runs after their first innings ended at 402 in 91.3 overs. For India, spinners Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav were pick of the bowlers by taking three wickets each.
Ravindra dazzled to hit 13 fours and four sixes in his 157-ball knock yielding his second international hundred in Bengaluru, the city of his family’s origin. He also added a crucial 137 runs for the eighth wicket with Tim Southee, who hit 65 off 73 balls. It’s now the joint-highest eighth wicket partnership for New Zealand in Tests against India.
The second session began with Southee reaching 50 with a single from Bumrah, followed by successive boundaries off Siraj. Southee went for another maximum after delivering Siraj over midwicket for six, but was misled by a change of speed and delivered a routine catch to cover, bringing his 137-run partnership with Ravindra to an end for the eighth wicket.
Ravindra overturned his dismissal from Siraj thanks to UltraEdge’s spike on ball passing the bat, and he backed that up with a brilliant slog-sweep from Kuldeep, who trapped Ajaz Patel LBW. Ravindra smashed Siraj for back-to-back boundaries before gliding down the field to hit Kuldeep for six.
But Kuldeep had the last laugh right away, when Ravindra got a top-edge on a wide flighted ball and was caught by substitute keeper Dhruv Jurel to be out for 134 and go to the off to a rousing reception from the Bengaluru crowd and New Zealand dressing room.
Brief Scores: India 46 and 57/0 in 15 overs (Yashasvi Jaiswal 29 not out, Rohit Sharma 27 not out) trail New Zealand 402 in 91.3 overs (Rachin Ravindra 134, Devon Conway 91; Ravindra Jadeja 3-72, Kuldeep Yadav 3-99) by 299 runs
Source:IANS
