3rd Test: New Zealand collapse as spinners give India advantage | Cricket News

NEW DELHI: The spin trio of Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar shared eight wickets, sparking a second-innings collapse for New Zealand and giving India the advantage on the second day of the third and final Test in Mumbai on Saturday.
The Kiwis lost as many as eight wickets in the final session as they were reduced to 171 for 9 in their second innings with a lead of 143 runs at the end.
With the spinners trapping the Kiwi batters in a spin web, India now had a chance to claim a face-saving victory in the third Test.

On a crumbling Wankhede pitch that offered sharp turns and shifting bounce, the Indian spinners went wild as the Black Caps lost six wickets for 77 runs after tea.
How it happened
The Kiwi collapse came after India scored 263 all out in their first innings, securing a slender 28-run lead, supported by half-centuries from Shubman Gill (90) and Rishabh Pant (60) and a crucial unbeaten 38 off Washington Sundar.
15 wickets fell on the second day, making it clear that it will be difficult for India to finish fourth on Sunday.

Ashwin (3/63) found his groove while Jadeja (4/52) took four more wickets after his impressive 5/65 in the first innings, keeping India's hopes of avoiding a clean sweep alive.
Ajaz Patel (7) was at the crease when Jadeja dismissed Matt Henry (10) for the penultimate wicket on the last ball of the day.
Will Young's tough 51 was the only significant resistance from the Kiwis, who succumbed to the pressure after Patel (5/103) took another five-wicket haul.
Ashwin, who has had a quiet series so far, showed visible joy as he outran Rachin Ravindra (4), beating the batsman with bounce and turn. Glenn Phillips (26) then tried to use the long handle effectively but Ashwin threw him out, giving India another crucial breakthrough. Young, who was solid in both innings, was Ashwin's third victim when he was outwitted by a carrom ball, allowing Ashwin an easy catch.
Ashwin also made a notable fielding contribution, ending a stable 50-run stand between Young and Daryl Mitchell (21). Mitchell and Young had steadied New Zealand after they lost their top spot. However, Mitchell's aggressive shot against Jadeja failed to reach the desired distance. From mid-on, Ashwin covered 19 meters and dived brilliantly to his left to complete the catch. The wicket marked the beginning of New Zealand's collapse.

Tom Blundell (4) bowled Jadeja at his stumps while Ashwin Phillips bowled, having switched to aggressive batting mode realizing New Zealand needed more runs.
Early in New Zealand's reply, Akash provided the rare sight of a pacer disturbing the stumps on a turning track, dismantling Tom Latham's (1) off and middle stumps in the first over.
Earlier, India suffered a setback with Pant's dismissal towards the end of the morning session, a blow that was keenly felt when play resumed after lunch. From Pant's dismissal in the 38th over to India's fold in the 60th over, the team managed just eight boundaries and two sixes. Pant alone has touched so many people in his vivid half-century.
Ajaz, finding his length, continued his success at the Wankhede Stadium and extended his world record of 10/119 in the first innings of the 2021 Test here with another five-wicket haul.
In the second session, Gill narrowly missed out on his century while other batsmen continued to disappoint. Sarfaraz Khan's struggle was particularly disheartening as he failed to open his account on his home turf, where the 27-year-old often scores runs with ease.
Sarfaraz misjudged the length of his first ball and misjudged Patel. Bouncing and powering up the next ball also beats him. He could have been sent off on the third ball as it bounced off his glove, but there was no fielder at the stupid point. Eventually he was caught back by goalkeeper Tom Blundell as the ball bounced, turned and kissed his stick's shoulder.
Gill's flawless 146-ball 90, including seven fours and a six, ended when Patel caught him at slip.
Jadeja (14) was also caught at slip, albeit off Glenn Phillips, while Washington put up a lonely fight among the three all-rounders, scoring a brisk 38 not out from 36 balls, with four boundaries and two sixes.
India had ceded control to New Zealand with a late collapse on the opening day but showed resilience and recovered quickly.
Pants Quickfire 60 with eight fours and two sixes was crucial in shifting the lead back to India. He countered the Kiwis, who were gifted three unexpected wickets thanks to errors from Virat Kohli (4) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (30).