New Delhi: Indian batters endured another collapse in the ongoing Test series against New Zealand on Friday. On Day 2 of the second Test, the hosts lost six wickets for 91 runs in the first session, leaving a big hole with a trail of 152 runs likely to haunt them.
The defensive mode wasn’t the compact of compact with players trying out of the box. If New Zealand pacers were instrumental for India’s 46-all-out in Bengaluru, the spinners stepped up to continue the decimation in Pune, where the hosts were confident to make a comeback on the slow turner, but surrendered when New Zealand decoded the defence frailty.
New Zealand left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner trapped Indian batter Shubman Gill before the wickets with a quicker length ball. Santner then bowled a low full toss to deceive veteran batter Virat Kohli who attempted to play across the line, indeed the wrong one.
The calm and composed Yashasvi Jaiswal looked in good touch before poking one off Glenn Phillips’ bowling while defending on the front foot. Daryl Mitchell took a low catch in the slip cordon to end Jaiswal’s stay on the pitch.
Rishabh, Sarfaraz too fail to apply their instincts
With Rishabh Pant and Sarfaraz Khan, the two heroes who pushed India’s fightback in the second innings in Bengaluru, out in the middle, hope was paramount. Pant was cleaned up after missing the low length delivery by Phillips and Sarfaraz went to clear the covers but was caught by William O’Rourke off Santner’s bowling.
Santner bowled a extraordinary low while bowling around the wicket to trap Ravichandran Ashwin, indeed a plumb. India lost their seventh with all the hopes hanging around Ravindra Jadeja and Washintgon Sundar to rescue them from this precarious position of 107 for 7.
The Indian batters couldn’t apply their skills to respond to the spin challenge on a wicket where the ball has been turning low and skidding if bowled quicker and flatter. In case the trail isn’t cut down then New Zealand will be in a driver’s seat to become the first team to win a Test series in India.
