Day 1 at Kanpur saw India get 258/4 after winning the toss. On Day 2, New Zealand reduced India to 87/6 and got 129/0. Obviously, on a crumbling track, the order had to change on Day 3. Over the course of the day, New Zealand got 167/10 and India 14/1. With a lead of 63, India have raced ahead, courtesy of an Axar Patel five-wicket haul.
In the seven innings he has bowled in Test cricket; Axar has five wickets five times and four wickets once. Test cricket is not that easy, and one has to be immensely skilled to achieve such stats. Axar’s incredibility is well demonstrated by the fact that he managed to overshadow R. Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja – two of the greatest spinners in history.
Axar reaped the rewards for targeting the stumps. He was more potent with the second new ball, where his height enabled him to extract pace and bounce on a slow surface, relying on the track’s unpredictable nature. Of the five wickets, two were bowled and one leg before. Of all the bowlers in this Test match, Axar bowled the most percentage of balls on stumps.
Ashwin’s three-for came after a long toil. However, it was he who got the first breakthrough, ending the 151-run opening stand. His angles posed problems for the batters throughout the day, but they did reflect enough on the wicket column.
A stiff neck prevented Wriddhiman Saha from taking the field on Day 3. At 37, Saha may still be the best wicketkeeper in the world, but the drying runs and frequent breakdowns are not helping his cause. K.S. Bharat, the substitute gloveman, exhibited his acrobatics on a difficult wicket with three dismissals, none of which will find a way to his career numbers.
He may or may not play for India, but there’s no doubt he’s ready for Test cricket. Of course, his batting exploits in First-Class cricket further back his case. And we all saw the faith Virat Kohli, and Glenn Maxwell showed in his batting ability during the later stages of the 2021 IPL.
New Zealand failed by batting heroes
As a batting unit, New Zealand checked most boxes. Will Young was remarkable with his 89 in his first innings in India. Tom Latham is among the rare openers to have adapted to Indian conditions. It was a shame that he fell five short of what could have been his first hundred in India, a place where he breached the 50-mark four times in seven innings.
What led New Zealand’s batting down was its spine – the middle-order. Between them, Kane Williamson, Ross Taylor and Henry Nicholls managed 31 runs.
While Williamson and Taylor were expected to shoulder the major batting burden, Nicholls was expected to replicate his brilliance of 2018 against Pakistan in the UAE.
New Zealand ended the difficult day in the office with a smile after Shubman Gill became Kyle Jamieson’s 50th Test wicket. Like Axar, Jamieson has been the duck to the pond that is Test cricket, the only difference being that he has proved his credentials in three continents (Oceania, Europe and now Asia).
Reaching the 50-wicket mark in just nine Test matches, Jamieson broke Shane Bond’s 16-year-old New Zealand record of getting there in 12 Tests.
Do India have a big edge?
Effectively, India are 63/1. At Green Park, Kanpur, the third-innings batting average is 37.3, more than 36.9 in the first innings, 31.6 in the second and 22.8 in the fourth. New Zealand’s analyst might already have discussed these alarming numbers.
India are definitely ahead, but New Zealand are a good session away from a comeback. The new ball is five overs old, the uneven bounce will further compound the woes for the batters, and New Zealand have quality fast bowlers in Tim Southee and Jamieson. Ajaz Patel and Will Somerville need to take a leaf out of Axar’s book and target the stumps.
A repeat of Day 2, first session can have the inexperienced Indian batting unit on the mat.
However, if India score another 100, the Test match may slip away from New Zealand’s reach. India cannot afford to drop anchor. Survival on this surface may be more difficult than scoring runs. Maybe that is why we witnessed the rarity of Cheteshwar Pujara late cutting a ball between the slips.
India’s batting armoury does not reflect confidence. Pujara has been inconsistent; captain Ajinkya Rahane worse; and Mayank Agarwal and Saha have not played enough of late. Shreyas Iyer, despite the brilliant hundred, is a debutant.
How hungry are the Kiwis will determine the proceedings of Day 4? They will be up against India’s resilience – a quality they have shown enough throughout 2021.