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New Zealand made history by completing a series whitewash in India, winning the third Test in Mumbai by 25 runs. At the forefront was the Mumbai-born Ajaz Patel, who took 11 wickets to rattle the Indian batting line-up at the Wankhede Stadium, much like he had in his previous appearance at this venue. The match was finely balanced at lunch, with India needing 55 runs and having four wickets in hand. Their hopes rested on Rishabh Pant, who had scored a fifty before lunch, but once he was dismissed, the remaining batters collapsed like a pack of cards.
The wicketkeeper-batter once again emerged as the lone warrior in the fourth innings of a Test match, giving India a genuine chance of victory with his counter-attacking knock of 64. Pant and India needed a bit of luck, which they found briefly in the first session when India were reduced to 29/5. The left-hand batter played with grit and sheer determination to bring his team close to the finish line, but he didn’t receive enough support from the others.
The vulnerability of the Indian batters was once again on display. The conditions weren’t easy to bat on, and India succumbed to spin, once again showing a lack of application.
Earlier in the day, the New Zealand tail could add only three runs in 14 balls as they were bundled out for 174. Ravindra Jadeja outfoxed Patel to finish with match figures of 10/120.
In pursuit of 147, India lost Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, and Virat Kohli early. Rohit, after being struck on the pad in the first over, tried to break free by advancing down the pitch and clearing mid-off to get off the mark. An over later, he attempted another shot over the infield but mistimed it, the ball hitting high on the bat and ballooning up for a catch. He made 11. Five balls later, Gill misjudged a straight delivery from Patel, left it and found himself bowled.
Kohli departed soon after, edging one to first slip, where Daryl Mitchell took the catch. Patel was once again getting the ball to drift in before turning it away, challenging both edges of the bat. Against Gill, he delivered an arm ball, proving effective once more in his hometown. He was further helped by the Indian batters’ readiness to take unnecessary risks, which resulted in false shots.
However, when Pant arrived at the crease, Patel seemed to feel the pressure. Pant lofted him down the ground for six, and after that, New Zealand’s frontline spinner lost his line. Each time he bowled to Pant, Patel seemed unsettled. His lengths became shorter, his lines wayward, and, apart from a few deliveries landing on a good length, most were either too full or too short.
Post-lunch, with India needing 55 runs and six wickets in hand, the match was still in balance. Pant came out attempting to finish the match quickly, but in his hurry, he got out after Tom Latham successfully reviewed a bat-pad catch that had been turned down. A disconsolate Pant trudged off, convinced that the spike shown by the snickometer was bat brushing pad. India’s already slender hopes went with him.
Brief scores: New Zealand 235 (Daryl Mitchell 82, Will Young 71; Ravindra Jadeja 5-65) & 174 (Will Young 51, Glenn Phillips 26; Ravindra Jadeja 4/52) beat India 263 (Shubman Gill 90, Rishabh Pant 60; Ajaz Patel 5/103) & 121 (Rishabh Pant 64; Ajaz Patel; 6/57) by 25 runs.
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