- Saturday, October 19, 2024
Resuming at 438 for six after tea, India lost their final four wickets — Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandra Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, and Mohammed Siraj — in quick succession
By: Shajil Kumar
SARFARAZ KHAN struck a majestic 150 while Rishabh Pant made a brisk 99 as India were all out for 462 in their second innings, setting New Zealand a target of 107 on day four of the opening Test here on Saturday.
Sarfaraz’s maiden hundred and Pant’s innings offered hope for India, but their dismissals led to a swift decline for the hosts. Resuming at 438 for six after tea, India lost their final four wickets — Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandra Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, and Mohammed Siraj — in quick succession, ending their innings in 99.3 overs.
Earlier Pant and Sarfaraz stitched a 177-run stand for the fourth wicket at five runs an over that gave India an upper hand for the first time in this match.
Pant understandably made a slightly gingerly start and was even involved in a mix-up with Sarfaraz, saved only by an erratic throw at stumps by wicketkeeper Tom Blundell.
After that Pant was unstoppable, clobbering left-arm spinner Ajaz Patel for a couple of six.
The left-hander soon brought up his fifty off just 55 balls with a thumping cover drive off Glenn Phillips before rain halted his march.
Despite the break, Pant started the middle session with confidence, biffing left-arm spinner Rachin Ravindra for a couple of sixes over the covers.
There were a couple of jittery moments for him but DRS saved him on both the occasions – once from an appeal for a bat-boot catch and once from a caught-behind appeal.
However, those blips did not affect his concentration and gradually began playing those shots exclusively crafted in the Pant manufacturing unit.
Meanwhile, Sarfaraz, at the other end, chugged to a 150 after reaching his maiden Test hundred during the first session of the day, which he celebrated with unbridled joy.
His batting too was far from conventional, dishing out a melange of late cuts to accumulate his runs. In that sense, the Mumbai man’s brusque batsmanship has a close resemblance to Pant’s.
However, both of them departed in rather quick succession as Kiwis applied break on India’s free-scoring ways.
Pant was played on to William O’Rourke while Sarfaraz scooped Southee to Ajaz Patel. The dismissal of KL Rahul further pegged India back. (PTI)
