Sundar in seventh heaven as India restrict New Zealand to 259

PUNE: India’s Washington Sundar claimed a career-best seven-wicket haul and spin partner Ravichandran Ashwin took three to dismiss New Zealand for 259 before the hosts reached 16-1 at stumps on the opening day of the second Test in Pune on Thursday.

India lost Rohit Sharma, the skipper bowled by Tim Southee for a nine-ball duck, but Shubman Gill was unbeaten on 10 with Yashasvi Jaiswal six not out at the end of an absorbing day.

Brought into the side in place of Kuldeep Yadav following India’s eight-wicket defeat in the series opener in Bengaluru, Sundar justified his selection by scything through New Zealand’s middle and lower order to finish with 7-59.

“What happened today is a dream come true. To be living the dream is an unbelievable feeling,” Sundar said. “I’d manifested this to happen in this particular series for a couple of weeks. The way it came through, I’m really grateful.

“I knew I was going to play this game two days ago. It’s a great opportunity because I wasn’t part of the squad to start the series with … to get this opportunity, I’m really grateful to the coach and the captain.”

Ashwin claimed 3-64 as India made the most of the turn on offer at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium to dismiss the tourists cheaply after they were well placed at 197-3.

Devon Conway, who fell nine runs short of a ton in the first innings of the Black Caps’ series-opening victory, made 76 while Rachin Ravindra scored 65 before Sundar took charge and put India in a strong position.

Ravindra scored 134 and 39 not out in the first Test and picked up from where he left off, reaching his fifty with back-to-back fours off Akash Deep as India’s shoulders had begun to droop late in the afternoon.

UNPLAYABLE DELIVERIES

Sundar lifted the gloom with a couple of unplayable deliveries that castled Ravindra and Tom Blundell (3) in a 10-minute spell before tea.

He returned after the break to remove Daryl Mitchell (18), Glenn Phillips (9), Southee (5) and Ajaz Patel (4) and leave the touring side shell-shocked.

Mitchell Santner was the last to fall for an entertaining 33, the left-hander’s stumps shattered by another peach of a delivery from Sundar.

Conway earlier reached his third fifty in four innings with a driven boundary on the first delivery after lunch from Jasprit Bumrah and hit him for two more in the same over.

He also deployed the reverse sweep to good effect but was caught behind after a misjudged drive off Ashwin, who bagged his 531st wicket to surpass Australia’s Nathan Lyon and sit seventh on the all-time list.

New Zealand opted to bat and made a good start as captain Tom Latham and Conway safely negotiated the fast bowlers, but India hit back by introducing spin after seven overs.

Ashwin had Latham trapped plumb in front of the wicket for 15 with one that drifted and turned, while Sundar also got early assistance from the black-soil wicket.

New Zealand kept rotating the strike, punishing the rare bad delivery, before Ashwin struck again by having Will Young caught behind for 18 following a successful review when the batsman attempted to tickle one down the leg side.

India have won their last 18 home series since 2012 but that record is on the line after they lost the opening Test. The last match is in Mumbai early next month.

SCOREBOARD

NEW ZEALAND (1st Innings):

T. Latham lbw Ashwin 15

D. Conway c Pant b Ashwin 76

W. Young c Pant b Ashwin 18

R. Ravindra b Sundar 65

D. Mitchell lbw Sundar 18

T. Blundell b Sundar 3

G. Phillips c Ashwin b Sundar 9

M. Santner b Sundar 33

T. Southee b Sundar 5

A. Patel b Sundar 4

W. O’Rourke 0

EXTRAS (B-8, LB-2, NB-3) 13

TOTAL (all out, 79.1 overs) 259

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-32 (Latham), 2-76 (Young), 3-138 (Conway), 4-197 (Ravindra), 5-201 (Blundell), 6-204 (Mitchell), 7-236 (Phillips), 8-242 (Southee), 9-252 (Patel)

BOWLING: Bumrah 8-2-32-0; Deep 6-0-41-0 (1nb); Ashwin 24-2-64-3; Sundar 23.1-4-59-7 (1nb); Jadeja 18-0-53-0 (1nb)

INDIA (1st Innings):

Y. Jaiswal not out 6

R. Sharma b Southee 0

S. Gill not out 10

Extras 0

TOTAL (for one wicket, 11 overs) 16

FALL OF WICKET: 1-1 (Sharma)

STILL TO BAT: V. Kohli, S. Khan, R. Pant, R. Jadeja, W. Sundar, R. Ashwin, J. Bumrah, A. Deep

BOWLING: Southee 3-1-4-1; O’Rourke 3-2-5-0; Patel 3-1-5-0; Santner 2-0-2-0

UMPIRES: Paul Reiffel (Australia), Richard Illingworth (England)

TV UMPIRE: Michael Gough (England)

MATCH REFEREE: David Boon (Australia)

Published in Dawn, October 25th, 2024