The message from the second day’s play here was loud and clear. In conditions where the ball seam and bounce, this Indian side does not come close to being a world-beating side.
India is ranked No. 1 in Tests, but the manner in which the batsmen were dismissed in the second innings — undone by the short ball and with their footwork exposed — suggested this side is still on a learning curve in these conditions.
Flurry of wickets
As many as 16 wickets fell as the second Test moved quickly towards an early finish. On a hard pitch with grass cover, the pacemen got bounce and movement.
Only the tenacious Cheteshwar Pujara fell to a ‘beauty’. Trent Boult’s delivery, from round the wicket and wide of the crease, swung in prodigiously to go past the batsman’s defence.
First, India allowed the Kiwi tail to wag — Kyle Jamieson made a valuable 49 — for the host to finish only seven runs short of the Indian first innings score of 242.
Then, India got into all kinds of problems in its second essay to end the day at 90 for six, leading by 97.
It was baffling, why, with almost 30 minutes remaining, India sent Umesh Yadav in as night-watchman. The crafty Boult cleaned him up.
Also read: Jamieson — hungry for more
The batsmen appeared and disappeared. Mayank Agarwal was done in by a Boult delivery that swung in.
Prithvi Shaw was indecisive about swinging at a short-pitched delivery from Tim Southee and was caught out as the ball climbed.
Virat Kohli has not been picking the direction of the seam movement. He succumbed to a Colin de Grandhomme off-cutter after thrusting his pad out.
Ajinkya Rahane, reacting too early to the bounce, ended up hooking a Neil Wagner short ball onto his stumps. It was a bizarre dismissal.
Earlier, Jamieson made vital runs for New Zealand. He is someone with batting potential. He gets behind line, has a reasonable defence, uses his reach and plays his shots.
Also Read: NZ vs IND second Test: Should have stuck at it, says Vihari
When New Zealand was 177 for eight and looking like conceding a sizeable lead, Jamieson rallied with Wagner, the 51-run partnership only ending when a leaping Jadeja plucked a catch out of thin air at deep square-leg as Wagner pulled Shami.
Even in seaming conditions, Jadeja was rarely out of the game, picking up a compelling catch at point as B-J. Watling waded into a well-pitched-up delivery from Bumrah.
Then, Jadeja had the key man, Ross Taylor, jumping out and trying to hit against the turn; he was well held by Umesh at backward point. The left-armer pulled his weight again, getting one to straighten at de Grandhomme, who looked threatening with his strokes.
The Indians were buzzing in the morning, striking early, making use of the conditions. Umesh seamed one back to win a marginal leg-before decision over Tom Blundell.
Indian surge
That was the beginning of the Indian surge. The Indian pacemen were incisive, bowling in better areas, too.
Bumrah seamed the ball from a good length.
There was bounce for him as well. It was this combination of away movement and bounce that fetched Bumrah the big fish — Kane Williamson.
Mohammed Shami was running in to a good rhythm and that was not good news for the Kiwis. Much of the paceman’s bowling hinges on the fluency of his run-up.
Tom Latham shouldered arms to a delivery outside off but saw the ball nipping back to disturb woodwork.
The left-handed Latham (52) had struck the ball crisply on both sides of the pitch, but left the arena shell-shocked.
Then, Shami found the edge of the left-handed Henry Nicholls for Kohli to pluck a fine diving catch at second slip. It took several replays before third umpire Aleem Dar was convinced the catch had been taken cleanly.
A dramatic day of fortune swings it was.
Scoreboard
INDIA — 1ST INNINGS: 242
NEW ZEALAND — 1ST INNINGS: Tom Latham b Shami 52 (122b, 5x4), Tom Blundell lbw b Umesh 30 (77b, 4x4), Kane Williamson c Pant b Bumrah 3 (8b), Ross Taylor c Umesh b Jadeja 15 (37b, 1x4), Henry Nicholls c Kohli b Shami 14 (27b, 1x4), B-J. Watling c Jadeja b Bumrah 0 (16b), Colin de Grandhomme b Jadeja 26 (44b, 4x4), Tim Southee c Pant b Bumrah 0 (2b), Kyle Jamieson c Pant b Shami 49 (63b, 7x4), Neil Wagner c Jadeja b Shami 21 (41b, 3x4), Trent Boult (not out) 1 (2b); Extras (b-20, lb-4): 24. Total (in 73.1 overs): 235.
FALL OF WICKETS: 1-66 (Blundell, 25.3 overs), 2-69 (Williamson, 28.1), 3-109 (Taylor, 38.4), 4-130 (Latham, 43.6), 5-133 (Nicholls, 45.4), 6-153 (Watling, 50.3), 7-153 (Southee, 50.5), 8-177 (de Grandhomme, 60.2), 9-228 (Wagner, 71.6).
INDIA BOWLING: Bumrah 22-5-62-3, Umesh 18-2-46-1, Shami 21.3-3-81-4, Jadeja 10-2-22-2.
INDIA — 2ND INNINGS: Prithvi Shaw c Latham b Southee 14 (24b, 2x4), Mayank Agarwal lbw b Boult 3 (6b), Cheteshwar Pujara b Boult 24 (88b, 2x4), Virat Kohli lbw b Grandhomme 14 (30b, 3x4), Ajinkya Rahane b Wagner 9 (43b, 1x4), Umesh Yadav b Boult 1 (12b), Hanuma Vihari (batting) 5 (12b, 1x4), Rishabh Pant (batting) 1 (1b); Extras (b-9, lb-10): 19. Total (for 6 wkts. in 36 overs): 90.
FALL OF WICKETS: 1-8 (Mayank, 1.5), 2-26 (Shaw, 8.1), 3-51 (Kohli, 17.1), 4-72 (Rahane, 30.3), 5-84 (Pujara, 33.1), 6-89 (Umesh, 35.1).
NEW ZEALAND BOWLING: Southee 6-2-20-1, Boult 9-3-12-3, Jamieson 8-4-18-0, Grandhomme 5-3-3-1, Wagner 8-1-18-1.
