Chasing 540, Kiwis slip to 140 for 5 at the end of day three
MUMBAI: Has the endgame begun in Ross Taylor's glittering career? It was a question that popped up into the mind as the Kiwi veteran mistimed a slog sweep - a shot he has mastered - off a R Ashwin delivery, with Cheteshwar Pujara running to his right to complete the job.
Looking to delay a certain defeat on Day Three of the second Test against India at the Wankhede Stadium, New Zealand were 45 for two when the 37-year-old walked in. With skipper Kane Williamson missing this game due to an elbow injury, the Kiwis would've expected the senior-most member of their team to put his hand up and fight. However, during his nine-minute visit to the crease, all Taylor, a man with 7,577 runs in 109 Tests, did was look to smash the ball out of the ground. Twice off Ashwin and Axar Patel, he was nearly bowled while going for the big, expansive drive. It seemed his mind was on the plane back home.
This tendency to commit hara-kiri then spread to the others in the Kiwi camp. Having just smashed Axar for a superb six over long-on, Daryl Mitchell (60, 92b, 7x4, 2x6) - who had played brilliantly till then, again tried to hit the left-arm spinner out of sight, only to mishit a ball a bit too wide from him to Jayant Yadav at deep extra cover. Later, 'keeper Tom Blundell (0) ran for a non-existent single and paid the price, as substitute KS Bharat fired in a quick throw from mid-off to run him out.
Towards the end, Henry Nicholls (36 not out, 86b, 7x4) and Rachin Ravindra (2 not out off 23 balls) did well to limit the damage, but the Kiwis, chasing an improbable 540, finished at 140 for five, leaving them with the prospect of a mammoth, humiliating defeat in a Test which has seen their left-arm spinner Ajaz Patel take the 'perfect 10,' and then achieve the best figures by a bowler against India (14 for 225).
Unsurprisingly, on a turner, the star of the show for India was again Ashwin, who, besides scalping Taylor, grabbed the wickets of New Zealand openers -stand-in-captain Tom Latham (lbw with one that went through as the batsman played for the turn) and Will Young (caught bat pad off a sharply turning, bouncing delivery).
Earlier, India went for some batting practice, but didn't get what they were looking for as the Kiwi pacers, particularly Tim Southee, bombarded them with the short stuff. Mayank Agarwal (62, 108b, 9x4, 1x6) followed up his first innings century with a gritty fifty. Cheteshwar Pujara and Shubman Gill scored 47 each, but both, looked uncomfortable with the 'chin music' dished out which the South African bowlers would have noticed.
Kohli's lacklustre 36 (84 b), ended when he chopped a ball to his stumps off left-arm spinner Rachin Ravindra.
India mercifully declared at 276 for 7.
