It almost felt like a skullduggery, R Ashwin going wicketless in a Test innings at home! Or else how would you explain a hapless-looking Ashwin against the likes of Will Young, Daryl Mitchell and Glenn Phillips? The naysayers had almost called it a passing of the baton with Washington Sundar doing the heavy lifting. However, you can't beat class and quality. Just when India needed their experienced spinners to put their hand up, Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja came up with some beautiful deliveries and tactics to bamboozle the Kiwis to hand India an advantage going into the third day of the Mumbai Test.
It was a Day 2 wicket tailor-made for a batting line-up to be galloped by Ashwin and Jadeja themselves. You'd imagine that Ashwin and Jadeja would be licking their lips after the two innings were done on that track and that first wicket of the match of Rachin Ravindra meant so much to senior offie. He was overjoyed and relieved at the same time. However, it was Akash Deep, who started the procession by cleaning up the New Zealand skipper Tom Latham in the very first over.
Shortly Washington Sundar, the only bright spot for India in the last couple of Tests, sprung to the action with the big wicket of Devon Conway and the hosts were up and running. The ball to Ravindra from Ashwin was almost like a reminder, 'I'm still here'. India don't play a home Test for almost a year now and this might be the last time for some time that one gets to see Ashwin showing his mastery like that.
With such turn and bounce, one wondered why Ravindra Jadeja wasn't introduced in the attack. The left-right obsession during batting and now bowling is really overstaying its welcome. Daryl Mitchell and Will Young were able to keep both the off-spinners at bay stitching a fifty-run stand before Jadeja's introduction worked only a few overs later.
Mitchell wanted to go big but a neat catch from Ashwin ensured that the right-hander wasn't replicating his first-innings heroics. Now, Jadeja was into business. One after the other, he had three wickets and in-between there was a chef Ashwin special served to Phillips, who stood in disbelief as to what really happened. Phillips had hit Ashwin for a couple of sixes in that over before the latter changed his tactics, a carrom ball pitched on middle and leg and Phillips' off-stump went for a walk.
Matt Henry and Ajaz Patel added to India's frustration before Jadeja cleaned him up to leave New Zealand tottering at nine down. The Black Caps are still 143 runs ahead but India have made sure that they haven't run away and the target remains within reach, so far.
Earlier, it was the duo of Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant, who got India out of the hole they found themselves in after a 10-minute madness before the stumps on the opening day. Gill played an excellent knock of 90 runs while Pant contributed with an entertaining 60, however, there was potentially no support from the rest and despite looking like taking a lead of around 70-80, India ended up getting ahead of the Kiwis by just 28 runs in the first innings.
Sundar's unbeaten 38 off 36 got India into the lead and he continued to do the weightlifting before the Ashwin reminder. India are slightly ahead but they have to make sure that the final wicket doesn't take much time and deliveries on Sunday at 9:30 AM.
