Washington Sundar claimed two crucial wickets late in the second session, leaving New Zealand at 201 for 5 and diminishing the impact of half-centuries from Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra, who had kept the visitors stable against India’s relentless fast-spin attack.
Although the bowlers experienced some movement early on and the spinners found a bit of turn, the slow surface provided limited assistance throughout Thursday. An outside edge that raced to the boundary helped New Zealand get their innings underway in the morning, as they capitalized on the bowlers’ misalignment to rotate the strike and keep the scoreboard ticking.
R Ashwin was introduced in the eighth over and quickly made an impact, turning the ball sharply to trap Tom Latham leg before wicket. This early breakthrough set the stage for a potential spin challenge for the batters, but conditions on the slow pitch forced the spinners—Ashwin, Washington Sundar, and Ravindra Jadeja—to bowl at a brisk pace, averaging over 90 km/h.
While the batters faced numerous challenges and were occasionally struck on the pads, there was little real threat to their wickets. The only other dismissal in the morning session, Will Young, occurred when he gloved a delivery down the leg side to the wicketkeeper.
In the second session, New Zealand adopted a more aggressive approach. Devon Conway opened with a cover drive for four off Jasprit Bumrah’s first ball, marking his half-century and quickly following it with two more boundaries to take the team’s total beyond 100. Despite being cautious with their shot selection, Conway occasionally utilized the reverse sweep, including one against Washington that resulted in a boundary.
The batters appeared to be in control until Conway chased a half-tracker from Ashwin, edging it to the keeper and departing for 77. Ashwin and Jadeja adjusted their pace in the second session, generating more grip and turn. They consistently threatened the New Zealand batters, but Ravindra and Daryl Mitchell managed to build a 59-run partnership, even as they looked shaky.
However, in the final 15 minutes, Washington Sundar returned to the attack and struck twice in quick succession. Ravindra, who had seemed the most assured at the crease and even hit Jadeja for a six, was squared up and bowled by Washington. Just two overs later, Tom Blundell was bowled, leaving New Zealand reeling from 197 for 3 to 201 for 5 and handing the momentum to India. Notably, all five wickets that fell came from the Pavilion End, all to the offspinning duo.
**Brief Scores:** New Zealand 201/5 (Devon Conway 77, Rachin Ravindra 65; R Ashwin 2-48, Washington Sundar 2-34) vs India.
