The message from the second day’s play at Christchurch was loud and clear. In conditions where the ball seamed and bounced, this Indian side did not come close to being a world-beating side.
India is ranked No. 1 in Tests but the manner in which the Indian batsmen were dismissed in the second innings, undone by the short ball and with their footwork exposed, suggested this side is still on a learning curve in these conditions.
As many as 16 wickets fell on Sunday, as the second Test moved very quickly towards an early finish. On a hard pitch with a grass cover, the pacemen got bounce and movement.
Only the tenacious Cheteshwar Pujara received a ‘beauty.’ Trent Boult’s delivery, from round the wicket and wide of the crease, swung in prodigiously to go past the batsman’s defence.
First, India allowed the Kiwi tail to wag - Kyle Jamieson made a valuable 49 - for the host to finish only seven runs short of the Indian first innings score of 242.
Then, India got into all kinds of problems in its second essay to end the day at 90 for six at stumps, leading by 97.
It was baffling, why, with almost 30 minutes remaining, India sent Umesh Yadav as the night-watchman. The crafty Boult cleaned him up.
The Indian batsmen appeared and disappeared. Mayank Agarwal was done in by a Boult delivery that swung in.
Prithvi Shaw was indecisive about swinging a short-pitched delivery from Tim Southee and was caught out as the ball climbed.
Virat Kohli has not been picking the direction of the seam movement here. He succumbed to a Colin de Grandhomme off-cutter after thrusting his pad out.
Ajinkya Rahane, reacting too early to the bounce, ended up hooking a Neil Wagner short ball into his stumps. It was a bizarre dismissal.
Earlier Jamieson made vital runs for New Zealand. He is someone with batting potential. He gets behind line, has a reasonable defence, uses his reach and plays his shots.
When New Zealand was 177 for eight and looking like conceding a sizeable lead, Jamieson rallied with Wagner, the 51-run partnership only ending when a leaping Jadeja plucked a catch out of thin air at deep square-leg as Wagner pulled Shami.
Even in seaming conditions, Jadeja was rarely out of the game, picking up a compelling catch at point as B.J. Watling waded into a well-pitched up delivery from Bumrah.
Then, Jadeja had the key man, Ross Taylor, jumping out and trying to hit against the turn; he was well held by Umesh Yadav at backward point. The left-armer pulled his weight again, getting one to straighten at Colin de Grandhomme, who looked threatening with his strokes.
The Indians were buzzing in the morning, striking early, making use of the conditions. Umesh Yadav seamed one back to win a marginal leg-before decision over Tony Blundell.
That was the beginning of the Indian surge. The Indian pacemen were incisive, bowling in better areas too.
Bumrah seamed the ball from a good length. There was bounce for him as well. It was this combination of away movement and bounce that fetched Bumrah the big fish - Kane Williamson.
Mohammed Shami was running in to a good rhythm and that was not good news for the Kiwis. Much of the paceman’s bowling hinges on the fluency of his run-up.
Tom Latham shouldered arms to a delivery outside off but saw the ball nipping back to disturb woodwork.
The left-handed Latham (52) had struck the ball crisply on both sides of the pitch, but left the arena shell-shocked.
Then, Shami found the edge of the left-handed Henry Nicholls for Virat Kohli to pluck a fine diving catch at second slip. It took several replays before third umpire Aleem Dar was convinced the catch had been taken cleanly.
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