New Zealand finished ahead of India after an attritional day of cricket at Southampton, where only 172 runs were scored in 76.3 overs of cricket. After India were bowled out for 217, Devon Conway led the New Zealand response with a grim half-century, collected over nearly three-and-a-quarter hours of grafting. That they got Conway two balls before it became too dark to continue will help the Indians sleep better, despite the fact that New Zealand hold the cards at 101/2, with Kane Williamson (12*) and Ross Taylor (0*) at the crease.
Conway and Tom Latham (30) added 70 for the opening wicket at a shade over two runs an over. The Indian fast bowlers found the edge, beat the bat, but failed to break through. The pair carried on amidst the numerous oohs and aahs and appeals. Eventually, R Ashwin (1-20) – the first spinner to bowl in the final – tossed one up, convincing Latham that the ball was quicker than it actually was. Virat Kohli took the catch at extra cover.
If the Indians could not get Conway or Williamson, they did not allow them to score quickly either. Runs came in a trickle. Conway eventually played an overpitched ball on the leg stump, from Ishant Sharma (1-19), to mid on.
Day 3 began under a clear sky, with India on 146/3. Williamson immediately brought Kyle Jamieson (5-31) on, holding Tim Southee (1-64) back for the second new ball. However, Trent Boult continued at the other end.
It took Jamieson 10 balls to strike. He pitched on the stumps, Kohli (44) stretched forward, and the ball moved slightly off the seam to hit the pad. The review, perhaps bordering on desperate lines, could not save Kohli.
The big wicket out of the way, Boult curled the old ball alarmingly into Ajinkya Rahane (49), beating the edge, hitting the pad. Jamieson got the ball to take off a length to beat Rishabh Pant (4). Jamieson, Boult, and Neil Wagner (2-40) bowled six maiden overs on the trot.
Pant took 20 balls to get off the mark, by pushing a rare overpitched ball from Jamieson to the mid-wicket boundary. His uncharacteristically slow struggle ended two balls later. Jamieson bowled outside off, Pant reached out for the shot, and Tom Latham took the catch at slip.
Ravindra Jadeja (15) was luckier. His edge, off the fifth ball he faced, ran through the slip cordon to the fence. Some respite came when Williamson took Jamieson off with four overs to go for the new ball. Rahane responded by leg-glancing Colin de Grandhomme’s first ball for four, while Jadeja drove him through mid-off for four more.
But New Zealand struck again. Wagner pitched short, and Rahane pulled straight to square leg – an unfortunate end to a hard-fought innings. Williamson claimed the new ball, and Ashwin (22) went after it. He flicked Boult, slashed at one from Southee that flew over the slips, and pushed Southee past point – all for fours. Then he was caught at slip.
Southee dropped Jadeja next over, but it did not cause New Zealand much harm. India went to lunch at 211/7, but Jamieson took out Ishant and Jasprit Bumrah with consecutive balls. Mohammed Shami drove the hat-trick ball for four, but Boult had Jadeja caught behind next ball.
Brief scores
India 217 (Ajinkya Rahane 49; Kyle Jamieson 5-31) lead New Zealand 101/2 (Devon Conway 54; Ishant Sharma 1-19) by 116 runs.