In an intense day of cricket, Washington Sundar emerged as the star for India, making a decisive impact with two crucial wickets that tilted the balance against New Zealand in their keenly contested innings. As the match unfolded on Thursday, it was Sundar’s twin strikes late in the second session that undid the advantage created by New Zealand’s Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra, both of whom had played robust innings to stabilize their team against the relentless bowling attack of India’s skillful trio of fast bowlers and spinners.
The morning session saw a pitch that offered little assistance to the bowlers; both pace and spin were met with resistance from the surface. Despite some initial movement from the pacers and occasional spin from the turning track, bowlers found it challenging to exploit the conditions to their full advantage. New Zealand’s innings was nudged into motion by an outside edge that streaked to the boundary, setting the tone for a play reliant more on exploiting bowlers’ errors than on the pitch’s generosity.
Ravichandran Ashwin was introduced into the fray as early as the eighth over. His ability to spin the ball sharply bore fruit when he trapped Tom Latham leg-before wicket, giving India its first breakthrough and suggesting that spin might dominate the day. Yet, the anticipated spin onslaught was subdued, partly due to the slow nature of the surface which forced Indian spinners – Ashwin, Washington Sundar, and Ravindra Jadeja – to bowl at an uncharacteristically high velocity, averaging speeds exceeding 90 km/h.
While the batsmen did face a few uneasy moments, getting beaten occasionally and struck on the pads, their wickets didn’t come under immediate threat, barring the case of Will Young. He was dismissed in the morning session, flicking a ball down the leg side that glanced off his glove into the wicketkeeper’s hands.
As the match progressed into the second session, New Zealand adopted a bolder approach. Devon Conway began the session splendidly by driving a half-volley from Jasprit Bumrah to the boundary, quickly reaching his half-century. This assertive start allowed New Zealand to cross the 100-run milestone.
. Playing with restraint, yet punctuating his innings with innovative strokes like the reverse sweep, Conway managed to unsettle the Indian spinners slightly. However, his inning came to an end at 77 when he chased a half-tracker delivered by Ashwin, only to edge it to the ‘keeper.
In this session, Ashwin and Jadeja decelerated their pace slightly, gaining more grip and turn, which tested the defenses of New Zealand’s batsmen repeatedly. Although their combination looked precarious at times, Rachin Ravindra and Daryl Mitchell carried forth steadily, amassing a 59-run partnership and adding to New Zealand’s score with perseverance.
Just when New Zealand seemed to consolidate their innings post-Conway, Washington Sundar’s re-introduction into the bowling attack disrupted their rhythm. In the final 15 minutes of the session, Sundar claimed two pivotal wickets in quick succession. Rachin Ravindra, who appeared the most composed among the batsmen and had even managed to hit Jadeja for a six, misjudged Sundar and was bowled through his defenses. This was followed by Tom Blundell’s dismissal two overs later, where Sundar again outfoxed the batsman, bowling him through the gate.
This sudden collapse from 197 for 3 to 201 for 5 handed over the initiative to India. Notably, all five wickets in the match so far had fallen at the Pavilion End, highlighting a peculiar trend in the fall of wickets, and emphasizing the effectiveness of India’s off-spinners, Ashwin and Sundar.
The day’s play underscored the delicate balance between bat and ball, with New Zealand ending the day at 201 for 5. Conway’s 77 and Ravindra’s 65 were countered by Ashwin’s 2 for 48 and Sundar’s 2 for 34, setting the stage for an intriguing continuation of this cricketing contest. The dynamics of the match are poised on a knife-edge, with both teams keenly vying for supremacy as they head into the next session.