IND 46 & 462
NZ 402 & 0/0 (0.4)
Day 4: Stumps - New Zealand need 107 runs
KL Rahul fell at the stroke of tea as India lost their sixth wicket allowing New Zealand to crawl back into the contest. Rishabh Pant fell agonisingly short of his century as he dragged one back onto the stumps on 99 – the seventh time in his Test career that he’s been out in the nervous 90s. Sarfaraz Khan produced his career-best score of 150 as India took the lead in the ongoing first Test against New Zealand. Sarfaraz was dismissed by Tim Southee.
There was no stability left in the Indian ranks as wickets continued to fall at a quick pace, with speedsters Matt Henry and William O’Rourke wreaking havoc on the tailenders.
The pacers both scalped three wickets each as India was bundled out for 462, setting a target of 107 runs for NZ to win.
Bumrah started off looking menacing with the ball, prodding into the defense of Tom Latham. But, play had to be called off due to bad light and eventually rain, as India will now have to defend their meagre total with a whole day’s play left for NZ to seal the deal.
After a lengthy delay, rain finally relented in Bengaluru and the excellent drainage system of M Chinnaswamy Stadium ensured the ground was ready for play in no time. The second session starts from 1:50 PM with the tea break at 3:30 PM IST. The final session continues till 5:15 PM IST.
Sarfaraz struck a maiden century while Pant fifty as India dominated the morning session before rain stopped play in Bengaluru. India were 344/3 in 71 overs, trailing New Zealand by 12 runs when early lunch break was taken. The rain stopped for a few minutes but returned delaying the start of second session.
India fought back valiantly with the bat and trail New Zealand by 125 runs. With the rain staying away, the hosts will look to take it session by session, starting with seeing off the crucial first hour on Day 4. On the other hand, New Zealand will look to wrap up the Indian innings soon and possibly before India even post a lead.
Day 3 began with India picking up four wickets within the first hour. Rachin Ravindra and Tim Southee though combined to bash Indian bowlers all over the park. Rachin scored a brilliant 134 and along with Southee’s 65, propelled New Zealand to 402, finishing with a commanding lead of 356 runs.
News18