India vs New Zealand 2024/25, IND vs NZ 3rd Test Match Report, 1 – 05 November 2024

On By Littum

Innings New Zealand 235 (Mitchell 82, Young 71, Jadeja 5-65, Washington 4-81) vs. India

Ravindra Jadeja continued his display of superb fitness and skill by bowling five more consecutive overs to complete his 14th five-wicket haul in Tests and help India bowl out New Zealand for 235. However, Daryl Mitchell hit three sixes in the 45 minutes between tea and the end of the innings to bring New Zealand to a competitive total. But they were missing the spinner who hurt India in the last Test, Mitchell Santner.

Whatever the support staff did to Mitchell during the tea break, he did wonders as he found enough energy to hit three sixes in three Washington Sundar overs. However, Jadeja kept attacking the stumps and turned the ball at high pace. Ish Sodhi fell to one that also stayed low and would get the cut stump out of the ground. For the second time on the day, Jadeja made it two wickets in one over when he slowed it down a touch to turn it past Matt Henry’s bat and take the top of the off.

Mitchell didn’t cultivate the strike with No.10 for company, but eventually made a mental error by guiding a flat delivery straight to slip, like coaches do during catching drills. However, not before scoring 82. Ajaz Patel, who is charged with improving dramatically from Pune, hit a six before laying up for one that did not turn, giving Washington his fourth wicket.

Earlier in the day, India struck in pairs to keep New Zealand at bay in the oppressive heat and humidity of Mumbai. Washington took out Tom Latham and Rachin Ravindra in quick succession before lunch and Jadeja accounted for the hardly troubled Will Young and Tom Blundell in one over just before tea. On a pitch with dust blowing and variable turn on day one, it was imperative that India took those wickets because Latham and Young first and Young and Mitchell threatened to run away to a big total.

As fast as they could run, that is. With temperatures of 37 degrees in the afternoon, the high humidity and the slight breeze, the players lost fluids quickly. Their shirts clung to their bodies with sweat, drinks came on almost every third lap, and ice towels and ice packs were used liberally. Mitchell in particular struggled the most but battled on to go into the tea break unbeaten.

Missing Japsirt Bumrah due to viral illness, India started with Akash Deep and Mohammed Siraj after Latham won another important toss. Akash Deep used the angle from around the wicket well to trap Devon Conway lbw, but Latham and Young got off to a comfortable start. They added 44 for the second wicket with relative ease before Washington, the second spinner used, turned a beauty past Latham’s outside edge. What made this more infuriating was that an almost identical delivery – same seam direction, same spot on the pitch, had gone straight on to hit his inside edge.

If Latham was bowled from the top, Rachin Ravindra fell to a similar beauty at mid-stump. As the pundits expected, the course turned noticeably in the first session. The final half hour leading up to lunch tested both Young’s and Mitchell’s edges as the natural variation from the pitch increased.

After lunch, however, there was a period of play where the pitch went dormant. Every now and then the ball would turn if Jadeja slowed it down but he was looking for a quick swing. He kept at it and showed his superior fitness by bowling through the session even as others took long breaks between overs.

Young and Mitchell looked calm, though. The sweeps and reverse sweeps were used to good effect, but Young also danced down the wicket to languidly lift the ball. This was Young’s first fifty in the series, although he has given the impression that he has been the most comfortable batter on both sides.

Washington, Siraj and Ashwin bowled from the other end but Jadeja hung on. Towards the end of the session, however, the ball started spinning at an even higher pace for Jadeja. Now he was in on it. Young edged to slide one that spun at 94 mph. Three balls later, Blundell saw a pitch on leg and struck at 92 km/h.

Jadeja stuck to his job and took out Glenn Phillips with one not turned, reducing New Zealand to 187 for 6. Mitchell kept fighting on through cramps and dehydration to ensure the Test held itself at the tea break.

Sidharth Monga is a senior writer at ESPNcricinfo