India's Batting Tumble Sets the Stage for a Photo Finish

Mumbai: In this exciting era of Test cricket, matches rarely reach the fifth and final day. The enthusiastic Wankhede Stadium crowd has witnessed a gripping contest condensed into just two action-packed days. The red soil pitch has already witnessed 29 wickets fall - 25 to spinners - and five half-centuries have been scored. It looks unlikely that the match will extend to the final session on Sunday.

What drama awaits the expected packed house on Sunday. India seem to have the edge, but only just. New Zealand’s second innings lead is 143 runs with their last wicket standing. Either New Zealand will pull off a win of epic proportions to complete a 3-0 series sweep or India salvage their pride and give themselves useful points to be in with a fighting chance to make the World Test Championship final.

India are at this point thanks to another Ashwin-Jadeja double act, their seven wickets helping reduce New Zealand to 171/9 at stumps. This after India managed only a 28-run first innings lead, dismissed for 263 in the first innings.

With the constant threat of spin, runs have been at a premium, which is why Shubman Gill called his 90 one of his better Test innings. In Rishabh Pant, Gill found an able ally and together they were able to raise a 96-run fifth wicket partnership to calm nerves in the home dressing room after the three dismissals in a matter of minutes the previous evening.

When bowlers are constantly threatening the bat, a brisk fifty can be worth a lot. Pant’s 59-ball 60 (8x4, 2x6) was one such. Helped by lifelines from New Zealand fielders, Pant and Gill, and Washington Sundar who scored a quickfire 38*, helped India take the slender first innings lead. For New Zealand, Ajaz Patel rose to the occasion in fellow left-arm spinner Mitchel Santner’s absence with a five-wicket haul at the venue where he claimed all 10 wickets in an innings the last time.

Ashwin shows the way

India had three solid spinners to repeat the dose. Akash Deep began well to beat skipper Tom Latham’s (1) defences from around the wicket before Washington Sundar got Devon Conway caught for 22.

Rarely would Ravichandran Ashwin be more edgy among India’s spin trio. But up until New Zealand’s second innings, this hadn’t been a series to remember for the senior bowler. For the first 18.5 ovrs here, including 14 in the first innings, he was wicketless. That on a pitch assisting spinners and where every other tweaker had got returns. That’s when Ashwin floated an off-spinner from around the wicket to Rachin Ravindra, who took the bait. New Zealand’s highest run scorer of the series was out stumped, charging out and beaten in the air. Ashwin was punching the air, screaming in delight to have won the mini battle. The spin great finally had a wicket to his name, and was back in the contest.

That’s when Will Young (51) and Daryl Mitchell (21) stitched together a 50-run partnership to frustrate Indians. Mitchell was doing it mostly by taking the aggressive route. He tried to hit Ravindra Jadeja out of the park again but found more height than distance. Under the ball was Ashwin, not the most agile as he himself admits, but a safe catcher, as he insists. Running sideways from mid-off with the match on a razor edge, Ashwin covered considerable distance, lunged at the swirling ball going away from him before diving to complete the catch.

Soon after, he flummoxed Glen Phillips with a carrom ball, ending his cameo (14-ball 26) in the same over after he had been carted for two straight sixes. Another carrom ball also had a telling effect, the set Will Young (51 — 100b, 2x4, 1x6) beaten to give a simple return catch. Jadeja then did more damage.

While India still has the mop up ahead with the final Kiwi wicket remaining, they will take heart from a pattern over the first two days. Fewest wickets fell in the morning session, perhaps due to the effect of the roller or the sun - three on Day 1 and one on Day 2 -- while the final session saw eight wickets fall on both days.

“We need one good partnership of 70-80 runs and it could be done and dusted,” Gill told reporters. Scoring runs has been anything but easy, but India would rather take such a win over a dramatic finish with everything else that is at stake.