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INDvNZ, 2nd Test: NOOOOO, Kiwis seal historic victory

By Mumbai Indians

All good things come to an end… and so did Team India’s 18-series winning streak at home in the longest format of the game.

A heartbreaking 113-run defeat at the MCA stadium, Pune halted a notable 12-year record that the Indian cricket team proudly held.

Here’s a recap of the match, as it happened.

Washington’s Sundar comeback!

Returning to the Test playing XI after a three-year hiatus, the 25-year-old showed no signs of rustiness as he breezed past the New Zealand middle-order and the tailenders.

After Ravi Ashwin got the better of the Kiwis’ top order, it was Washi all the way, with the visitors’ innings concluding at 259 runs towards the end of Day 1.

The all-rounder returned with a terrific 7/59, his first five-wicket haul in Test cricket. Moreover, it was India’s joint third-best figures against New Zealand in the longest format of the game.

Team India on the backfoot

A below-par first innings show, reminiscent of the previous match, left the Indian cricket team in disarray. Jaiswal (30 off 60), Gill (30 off 72) and Jadeja (38 off 46) did get a good start but failed to make it count.

Mitchell Santner, who had a poor outing in the two-match Test series against Sri Lanka prior to the ongoing series, made amends with a superb spell of 7/53, registering his career-best figures in Tests.

Shortly after Lunch on Day 2, the Rohit Sharma-led side was bundled out for 156 on the board, handing the opposition a healthy 103-run lead.

New Zealand extend their lead

Despite the best efforts of the Indian bowlers to keep the Kiwis’ scoring rate in check, their skipper Tom Latham (86 runs), with the help of handy contributions from his teammates, kept the scoreboard ticking.

By the end of Day 2, New Zealand recorded 198/5 as their lead stretched to 301 runs, adding to the agony of the home team and fans alike.

A 12-year domination comes to an end

Day 3 saw our spinners get the better of the remaining five batters within an hour of the start of play. A colossal 359-run target stood in front of them in their quest to restore parity in the series.

Thereafter, opener Yashasvi Jaiswal began the charge with an attacking 77 off 65 balls before returning to the pavilion. Nonetheless, Mitchell Santner continued to haunt the Indian batting unit, bagging yet another five-fer.

However, the Ashwin-Jadeja duo tried to pull Team India out of danger towards the toe end of the innings, stitching a 39-run partnership, but it just wasn’t to be as New Zealand won their first-ever Test series versus Team India in India.

With the final game of the series slated to be played at aamchi Wankhede, this side will look to avoid a series whitewash and head into the Border-Gavaskar trophy on the back of a win.

 

Brief scores: New Zealand 259/10 (Devon Conway 76; Washington Sundar 7/59, Ravichandran Ashwin 3/64) and 255/10 (Tom Latham 86; Washington Sundar 4/56, Ravindra Jadeja 3/72) beat India 156/10 (Ravindra Jadeja 38, Yashasvi Jaiswal 30; Mitchell Santner 7/53) and 245/10 (Yashasvi Jaiswal 77, Ravindra Jadeja 42; Mitchell Santner 6/104) by 113 runs.