Mitchell Santner has proved himself to be a headache for Indian batters as he continued to pick wickets in Pune conditions as he registers his second fifer and a maiden ten-wicket haul during the second test at MCA Stadium.
His magical spell has put New Zealand close to the historic series win against India in Pune. On the second session of day 03, India saw the hosts lose eight wickets with Santner picking six wickets and continuing to wreck down the host’s batting lineup.
India went to tea break for 178/7 still needing 181 runs for victory. Meanwhile, the Kiwis are close to handing India their first home defeat at home since 2012.
India known for crushing opponents in sub-continent conditions has struggled a lot in both tests of the ongoing test series.
Notably in Pune, the session started with opener Yashasvi Jaiswal continued to assault New Zealand bowlers with bat and scored 77 runs. His solid stance put the bowler under severe pressure.
It’s Tea on Day 3 of the Pune Test! #TeamIndia 178/7 at the end of Second Session.
Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/YVjSnKCtlI #INDvNZ | @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/yEBuUkXUrh
— BCCI (@BCCI) October 26, 2024
On the other hand, Santner opened his account by picking Shubman Gill and also landed an outside edge to dismiss Jaiswal. His dismissal was a huge setback for India as the middle-order batters soon started to fall.
Rishabh Pant was sent out on a run-out after a misjudge in the field with Virat Kohli. India suddenly lost two wickets from 127/ 2 to 127/4 which could have neutralized New Zealand’s left-arm spin threat.
Due to the dismissal, Washington Sundar had to bat at No. 6 but proved to be in vain. The left-arm spinner got Kohli for the second time in the game and also broke the defences of Sarfaraz Khan.
Ravindra Jadeja and Ashwin tried to back up the side but Santner dismissed the latter for 18 runs which caused India to lose 8 wickets for 206 runs. Akash Deep joined Jadeja trying to keep the match in hands at Pune to avoid a series defeat at home.
Despite their series defeat, India managed to maintain the top position in the WTC points table while New Zealand has stirred up the race for the WTC final.
The third match of the India-New Zealand tests begins on November 01 at Wankhede Stadium.
