Persistent rain had washed out the entire Day 1 of the World Test Championship (WTC) final between India and New Zealand at the Rose Bowl, Southampton. This effectively brought Day 6 – the allocated reserve day – into play.
India were happier than New Zealand at close of play on Day 2. They finished at 146/3 under conditions that suit bowlers than batters. More importantly, Virat Kohli (44*) and Ajinkya Rahane (29*) are still in middle. Only 64.3 overs were being bowled due to frequent intervals for bad weather.
New Zealand win the first mini battle
On a cool, fresh day, Kane Williamson, Kohli, and their great beards walked out to the middle for the coin toss. It went in favour of Williamson, and he opted to field, something he usually prefers.
Keeping the green surface and overcast conditions in mind, New Zealand included four frontline seamers alongside Colin de Grandhomme, leaving out their solitary spinner, Ajaz Patel. India had named their lineup a couple of days ago, and Kohli confirmed that they would not deviate from that.
Rohit, Gill get off to flying start
Tim Southee drifted an inswinger down the leg side to start the proceedings. Rohit Sharma got off the mark straightway by picking it off through square leg. Shubman Gill got his first run in the fourth over with a squeezed inside edge to mid-wicket. He then pulled Trent Boult in the sixth over for the first boundary of the match.
Boult and Southee swung the ball in the first half an hour but failed to make an impact. Gill and Rohit dealt in fours whenever the New Zealand seamers were even fractionally short or outside off.
Jamieson draws first blood; Wagner removes Gill with a peach
Kyle Jamieson did not like Gill’s shuffling at the crease. He hit a sharp bouncer to hit the grille of his helmet and gave him a grim stare. Everything was going in India’s way until this moment.
In the 17th over, Jamieson provided New Zealand the long-awaited breakthrough. Rohit (34) chased an angling outswinger, and the thick edge was held by Southee at third slip a couple of inches above the turf.
Neil Wagner then struck with his third ball of the Test match. He found the edge of Gill’s (28) bat before BJ Watling took a comfortable catch behind the stumps. From 62/0, India slipped to 69/2 by lunch.
Pujara being Pujara, not totally!
Cheteshwar Pujara took 35 balls and 51 minutes to get off the mark. However, his 54-ball 8, with the help of two fours, came to an end in the 41st over, when Boult swung a ball into his pad in front of the middle and leg.
Kohli, Rahane rise on the big occasion
After Pujara’s departure, Kohli and Rahane batted through the second session before bad light stopped play. India were 120/3 at this stage, and the on-field umpires decided to go for an early tea.
Rahane played a glorious pull off Southee to bring up a 50-run stand for the fourth wicket before bad light played spoilsport for the second time in the day. After a short break of 15 minutes or so, Kohli and Rahane added 12 more runs.
With the sky becoming greyer and gloomier every minute, the umpires were forced to call off the day, with 33.2 overs yet still to be bowled.
Brief Scores
India 146/3 (Virat Kohli 44*; Kyle Jamieson 1-14) vs New Zealand.