In a riveting turn of events at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, India’s celebrated spinners, Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin, orchestrated a masterful display of bowling finesse to seize a slight edge over New Zealand on the second day of their final Test encounter. As the dust settled at the end of the day, New Zealand found themselves precariously poised at 171 for 9, holding a slim lead of 143 runs. On a deteriorating pitch, this total holds the potential to be a formidable challenge, yet the Indians remain optimistic about their narrow advantage as the game advances.
The second day saw bowlers exercising dominance, continuing the trend from the first day when 14 wickets fell. New Zealand resumed their innings uneasily positioned at 26 for 1. With the conditions rapidly making batting a herculean task, every run became crucial. Will Young stood out once again for the visitors, crafting a resilient half-century, but found minimal support from his fellow batsmen. Daryl Mitchell and Devon Conway both looked promising but failed to convert their starts into substantial contributions, adding 21 and 22 runs respectively. Conway, in particular, succumbed to a sharply turning delivery from Ashwin that reared unexpectedly after pitching, nicking the ball to the slip cordon.
The dismissals kept piling up in sequences, a rough continuation from the first day. Rachin Ravindra exemplified this with his reckless attempt to hit a big shot, only to be stumped comfortably as the ball spun sharply past him. Young showed determination, maintaining his composure and adding significant value with his supple wristwork. Together with Mitchell, he forged a stabilizing 50-run partnership, marking the best passage of play for New Zealand that day. Just as the tide seemed to shift slightly in their favor, Jadeja struck with Mitchell’s departure courtesy of an impressive overhead catch by Ashwin.
On such spin-friendly surfaces, wickets appear in clumps, and Jadeja utilized this to dismantle the opposition further.
. Tom Blundell continued his dismal run with the bat, bowled splendidly by Jadeja. Glenn Phillips then tried to counterattack with rapid aggression, dispatching the ball beyond the boundary three times in an innings laden with risk. However, he too fell victim to Ashwin’s clever variations, cleaned up by an expertly delivered carom ball.
Jadeja’s precision skittled the lower order as he picked four wickets in a thrilling spell, leaving New Zealand struggling for runs. Despite late contributions from Matt Henry and Ajaz Patel, who added crucial runs with some hefty blows, Jadeja wrapped up the day capturing his fourth wicket, dismissing Henry in the final moments. New Zealand closed the day with diminished momentum, yet bearing in mind the capricious nature of the pitch, any increment in their lead could spell trouble for India batting last.
New Zealand are likely to strive to surpass the 150-155 run lead, aware that even slender advantages might herald an onerous chase for India, judging by the prevailing conditions. Although India’s bowlers excelled, the woes of their batsmen once again came to the fore with another familiar collapse.
Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant shone brightly with a counterattacking partnership worth 96 runs, yet their endeavors were solitary sparks amidst a broader batting frailty. On the flip side, Ajaz Patel showcased decisive determination, exploiting the turn and bounce effectively to unsettle India’s batsmen with five wickets in an impressive spell of left-arm spin bowling. Ish Sodhi and Phillips supported him ably, stemming India’s scoring momentum particularly after the vital breakthrough in dismissing Pant.
In recent years, India’s lower-order batsmen often staged comebacks to rescue the team on home soil, a feature conspicuously absent in this series. The usually reliable Ashwin and Jadeja stumbled with the bat, leaving Gill stranded until he eventually succumbed to Ajaz’s skillful deliveries. Had it not been for Washington Sundar’s brisk, unbeaten 38, India might have even faltered further in their first innings effort.
The day concluded with India marginally ahead, as their relentless bowling efforts have now left them in a somewhat commanding situation, albeit one that remains tightly contested as both teams enter the moving days of this engrossing Test series.