IND vs NZ, 2nd Test, Day , Highlights: New Zealand bowl out for 259 as Washington Sundar takes 7-59 for India. India trail by 243 at the stumps on Day 2.
Brief Score: IND 16/1 (S. Gill 10, Y. Jaiswal 6, T. Southee 1/4) trail NZ 259 (D. Conway 76, R. Ravindra 65, W. Sundar 7/59) by 243 runs.
Washington Sundar led India’s charge with a career best bowling performance of 7/59 as New Zealand were bowled out for 259 in their first innings. The hosts ended Day 1 of the second Test trailing New Zealand by 243 runs in Pune. India posted 16/1 at stumps after Rohit Sharma was castled for a nine-ball duck by Tim Southee. Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal remained unbeaten at the end of the opening day’s play.
Talking Point: Washington sundar showing faith back to management
Washington Sundar repaid the faith shown in him by the team management with career-best figures in just the fifth Test. Questions were raised on his selection in the playing XI while Kuldeep Yadav was benched. However, the right-arm off spinner proved himself and bowled a spell which would be remembered for ages as he went on to pick seven wickets.
The Tamil Nadu cricketer made his return to the playing XI after nearly three and a half years, with his last appearance being the Ahmedabad Test against England in March 2021. He regained coach Gautam Gambhir’s trust and sizzled with a sensational seven-fer to rock New Zealand with his spin wizardry.
Ravichandran Ashwin provides early breakthroughs as NZ’s score read 92/2 at lunch
New Zealand won the toss and decided to bat first in the second Test against India. Ravichandran Ashwin got the breakthrough in his very first over after visiting captain Tom Latham and Devon Conway got the visitors off to a rather breezy start. Latham fell LBW on the fifth ball of the eighth over with Ashwin bowling the first over of spin. At Lunch, New Zealand’s score read 92/2 with Devon Conway (47*) and Rachin Ravindra (5*) standing unbeaten at the crease. For India, Ashwin scalped the wickets of Tom Latham and Will Young for 15 and 18, respectively.
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Washington Sundar double strike leaves Black Caps reeling at 201/5 at Tea
Washington Sundar bowled two ripple deliveries to clean bowl Rachin Ravindra and Tom Blundell, bringing India back in the game as the Kiwis were 5-down at tea.
Earlier, Devon Conway went past his half-century with a four off the very first ball of the session. Conway and Ravindra looked rather untroubled for the first half an hour of the second session.
But Conway ended up being dismissed by Ashwin off a rather innocuous delivery. He scored 76 runs in 141 balls. Ravindra and Daryl Mitchell then put up a stand of 59 for the fourth wicket, with the former going past 50 for a second consecutive Test in this series.
However, Washington Sundar soon became the first bowler to dismiss Ravindra in this series. He dismissed the young Kiwi star on 65 off 105 in the second session.
Sundar rips New Zealand apart with his incredible 7-wicket haul
New Zealand got bundled out for 259 in 79.1 overs in the final session of Day 1. Washington Sundar justified his selection with a seven-wicket haul, and was in sensational touch. He returned with figures of 7/59, castling five Kiwi batters on his return to the side. Ravichandran Ashwin chipped in with three wickets as well.
For the visitors, Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra hit half-centuries. Meanwhile, India captain Rohit Sharma’s struggles continued as he was clean bowled for a duck by Tim Southee in the first innings. Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill stayed unbeaten in the middle, as India closed at 16/1.
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Statistical highlights from India vs New Zealand, 2nd Test, Day 1
- Ravichandran Ashwin went past Nathan Lyon’s wickets tally in Tests.
- This is the 18th time that two or more of NZ’s top 4 batters have struck fifty-plus score in an innings against India in India.
- This is the seventh time that two or more of NZ’s top 4 batters have struck fifty-plus scores while batting first against India in India.
- Ashwin has gone past Lyon in terms of wickets tally in WTC history.
- Washington Sundar registered his first fifer in Test cricket. These are Sundar’s best figures in FC cricket (7-59).
- This is NZ’s second-worst collapse (last 7 wickets) while batting first against India in Tests, as they lost their last 7 wickets for 62 runs. The worst performance had come in Hyderabad in 1969-70 when they lost their last 7 wickets for 49 runs.
- This is the 10th instance for India, when all 10 wickets of the first innings of a match have been taken by spinners. This is the first time when it has been done by right arm off-spinners.
What’s next
Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal will be at the crease to start the day for India. The hosts will look to bat as long as they can on Day 2 and get a good score in their first innings. India would love to see both the young batters reaching big. Meanwhile, New Zealand will eye on a few quick wickets early in the day.
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