Pace trio of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav came out all guns blazing as India reduced New Zealand to 142 for five at lunch on day two of the second Test on Sunday.
New Zealand scored 79 runs in the session but Bumrah (1/35 off 15 overs) and Mohammed Shami (2/45 in 15 overs) kept up the pressure with good support from Umesh Yadav (1/32 in 14 overs), who also took a fine catch running backwards off Ravindra Jadeja’s (1/10 in 4 overs) bowling.
At the break, BJ Watling (0) and Colin de Grandhomme (8) were at the crease with the hosts trailing by 100 runs.
India had scored 242 in their first innings.
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For New Zealand, Tom Latham (52 off 122 balls) scored a gritty half-century but never looked settled since the start of the morning session as Bumrah beat him on multiple occasions.
The pace trio hit the right length from the start with Yadav removing Tom Blundell (30 off 77 balls) with one that came back in with the angle as the bowler went slightly wide off crease.
Bumrah, who was deadly since morning, then removed Kane Williamson (3). The New Zealand skipper was caught in two minds to a delivery that jagged back and took the outside edge when he went for a half-hearted jab.
Ross Taylor (15) lost his patience and stepped out to hit Jadeja against the turn and the ball ballooned towards backward point with Yadav taking a well-judged catch. Shami, who has been off-colour in this tour so far, was finally back in the mix when he deceived Latham with a classic.
The left-hander was prodding to the away going deliveries and the wily speedster got one to move in. The opener shouldered his arms, not factoring in the late movement which disturbed the stumps.
Shami then got the jittery Henry Nicholls (14) with a delivery that bounced a shade more and the thick edge was taken superbly by a diving Virat Kohli at second slip.
