India is staring at a daunting chase of 359 runs after New Zealand’s determined second innings ended at 255, setting up a challenging fourth-innings target on Day 3 of the Pune Test.
Ravindra Jadeja finally found his rhythm in the morning session, breaking a prolonged wicket drought and claiming three vital scalps to keep India in contention. However, despite Jadeja’s breakthrough, New Zealand’s lead swelled thanks to aggressive late-order contributions, particularly from Glenn Phillips, who added valuable runs.
The third day began with the pitch showing signs of significant wear and tear, with widening cracks and abrasive patches, posing serious challenges for both teams. Spinners were anticipated to dominate, and Jadeja rose to the occasion, taking his first wicket of the Test when he bowled Tom Blundell for 41.
Jadeja’s dismissal of Blundell came after he adjusted his pace, bowling slower and allowing the ball to grip and turn off the rough spots. His persistence paid off further as he claimed Mitchell Santner, who mistimed a lofted shot to Bumrah at long-on, and Ajaz Patel, who was caught in the deep by Washington Sundar.
Ashwin complemented Jadeja’s efforts by varying his angles and deceiving Tim Southee into a slip catch to Rohit Sharma. Together, the spin duo managed to put a halt to New Zealand’s scoring rate, but not before Glenn Phillips took on the bowlers. Phillips, playing fearlessly, struck boundaries and even cleared the ropes twice, punishing anything wide and disrupting India’s rhythm.
Phillips eventually ran out of partners but had done enough to extend New Zealand’s lead to 358 ? a figure that looms large as one of India’s most formidable fourth-innings challenges. Only once has a target of 300-plus been chased successfully in India, against England in Chennai in 2008, and the hosts will need to surpass that record to level the series.
India’s batsmen now face the tricky prospect of tackling a worn pitch with inconsistent bounce and sharp turn. The visitors, particularly Phillips and Tom Latham, effectively employed sweeps and reverse-sweeps to counter India’s spinners, a strategy that many current Indian batsmen rarely use.
With turn and variable bounce expected to play a huge role, India may need to adjust their approach and consider incorporating the sweep shot to neutralize New Zealand’s spin threat led by Santner.
For India, this fourth innings is not only a test of their batting skill but also of their mental resilience. Facing a spin-friendly pitch, they will need steady contributions from the top order and perhaps a moment of brilliance to prevent New Zealand from making history.
