New Zealand beat India 3-0 to create Test history
On Sunday at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, New Zealand created history as they clean swept India in the three-match Test series 3-0 to become the first visiting team to achieve this stellar feat.
India did not waste much time in the morning of Day 3 as they drilled the final nail in the coffin within seven minutes. The last batting pair of New Zealand, Ajaz Patel and Will O’Rourke could last for 14 balls as Ravindra Jadeja dismissed his opposite number, Patel (8), trying to heave one only to find Akash Deep’s safe pair of hands at deep mid-wicket. With that wicket, Jadeja picked his 10th wicket (5/65 & 5/55) of the match and registered his third 10-wicket haul in Test cricket. New Zealand were all out for 174 in 45.5 overs and set a target of 147 runs to win for India. Opting for the light roller which would hold the pitch together, relatively out of form Indian batting was required to bat their heart out to chase down this tricky target.
India captain Rohit Sharma, who has had 80 runs in five innings in this three-match Test series so far, was the first one to bite the dust. In an attempt to go aerial, Sharma (11) mistimed one and Glenn Phillips made no mistake in running back from mid-wicket to latch onto the catch. With Sharma’s wicket, in came Shubman Gill, who had top scored with 90 runs in the first innings. While there were lot of expectations from Gill (1) to deliver again in the second innings, he perished in the very next over of Patel, trying to leave the ball, which ultimately went on to crash onto his stumps. Not much later, Virat Kohli (1) edged one to Daryl Mitchell at first slip who took a good low catch off Patel’s bowling. With two left handers, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rishabh Pant at the crease, New Zealand captain Tom Latham turned to off spinner Phillips. The move worked, as Phillips, in his very first over, sent Jaiswal (5) packing as he dismissed him leg before wicket.
India lost their top four batters inside seven overs and were in all sorts of trouble with just 28 runs on board and another 119 to get. Local boy Sarfaraz Khan, who came in at six, was on pair, having got out without troubling the scorers in the first innings. Sarfaraz just managed to avoid the infamous pair as he scored one run before falling prey to Patel off a full toss. Sarfaraz took the ball on the full and played it straight into the hands of Rachin Ravindra stationed at deep mid-wicket.
India lost half of its side for just 29 runs. The home team needed a big partnership and that is when Pant and Jadeja stitched a crucial 42-run stand for the sixth wicket. While slowly and steadily India were trying to make their way back into the match, Patel struck again as he got the better of Jadeja (6), who tried to push one to the leg side with hard hands, but found Will Young at short-leg. Interestingly, Young standing at the same fielding position had dropped Jadeja on the first ball that he faced.
While wickets were falling all around him Pant continued to take the attack to the opposition. He cruised to his 14th Test half century in 48 balls. After a well-made 60 in the first innings, Pant piled up yet another good score in the second innings. Together with Washington Sundar (6 not out), who was dropped on 3 by Devon Conway, Pant took India to 92 runs for the loss of six wickets in 20 overs at Lunch time.
In less than an hour of the second session, India was bundled out as they lost their last four wickets in 9.1 overs. The first one to depart was India’s lynchpin, Pant, who was forced to make his way back to the pavilion by New Zealand’s wrecker-in-chief Patel. Once Pant (64) was dismissed, Ashwin (8) and Sundar came together for a brief period of seven overs but Phillips got rid of the former and then the last two wickets fell in the space of three balls. Akash Deep was bowled on the first ball by Phillips, who pierced through the gap between his bat and pads, and Sundar’s innings (12) was put to closure by Patel, who finished with a total of 11 wickets (5/103 & 6/57) in the match.
India were bundled out for 121 and New Zealand won the match by 25 runs. With this win, New Zealand have achieved the unthinkable having handed a crushing defeat to India in their own backyard.