Jasprit Bumrah started day 3 with a bang as he got rid of BJ Watling. Ishant Sharma then sent back Tim Southee and the game was back in the balance. However, this is when New Zealand tail wagged and they added 132 runs for the last three wickets and this ensured the hosts ended their first innings with a commanding lead of 183 over India.
Former India batsman VVS Laxman was not too impressed with the way India allowed the momentum to slip and with the way Virat Kohli went about his business when New Zealand lost the two quick wickets early in the day.
“After getting Tim Southee’s wicket, India let off New Zealand, at one stage it seemed they would not get even 100 runs lead but the partnership between Jamieson and Colin de Grandhomme got them to 183 runs lead. India will be ruing the fact – they were very defensive, tactics used by Virat Kohli were not right, especially when the second new ball was in operation.,” Laxman told the host broadcasters at the Tea interval.
He was also not very convinced with Kohli’s tactics when India took the second new ball and said that the skipper should have used his pacers in a longer spell.
“I feel that the field settings by Virat Kohli ws not right for the situation, especially with the new ball. Because when you are playing in overseas conditions, new ball has a massive impact. In four overs he brought on Ravichandran Ashwin, I mean you have 3 quality fast bowlers you expect them to bowl at the tail. Virat Kohli missed a trick and this can cost India the Test match,” he went on to add.
India did not get off to a bright start in their second innings as Trent Boult got rid of Prithvi Shaw early in the innings. Mayank Agarwal and Cheteshwar Pujara then dropped anchor and steadied the ship but Boult hit back with the wicket of Pujara just on the stroke of Tea. Mayank brought up his 50, but was strangled down the leg side by Tim Southee. Kohli, who was looking settled, was then bounced out by Trent Boult to leave India under pressure.
