New Delhi: India finds itself in a challenging position as it chases New Zealand’s record score of 359 in the second Test. MCA Stadium in Pune on Saturday, though they got off to a good start in the second innings. After losing the captain Rohit Sharma Only 8 points ahead of the opening game Yashasvi Jaiswal India showed his exceptional form with an aggressive half-century to stay in the game.
Jaiswal’s 62-run partnership (23 off 31) for the second wicket with Shubman Gill gave India the impetus it needed in a daunting chase. The 22-year-old was in superb form, scoring a quick 77 runs off just 65 balls, hitting three sixes and nine fours before he was Mitchell Santner At the end of the 22nd. India’s odds appear to be stable at 127/3.
Scorecard: India vs New Zealand, 2nd Test
However, things soon turned against the hosts as disaster struck in the next game, with an “avoidable” knockout turning the momentum in New Zealand’s favour.
Reesha PantNot yet scored, with Virat Kohli Also try an adventurous single. Kohli pushed Ajaz Patel’s delivery to behind point but Pant misjudged the call. Santner quickly picked up the ball and delivered it perfectly to wicketkeeper Tom Brundle, and even after a desperate save, Pant was still well off the ground.
Pant’s dismissal without a score left India reeling at 127/4 as they lost two crucial wickets in consecutive overs.
The defeat also saw Pant join the undesirable list – becoming the third Indian batsman since 1990 to be dropped in the first seven batting positions. The player with this unfortunate record is Rahul DravidIn 2004, he was eliminated in the match against Pakistan in Lahore. Cheteshwar Pujarahe has two such dismissals: one against Australia in Dharamshala in 2017 and another against South Africa at Centurion in 2018.
With India losing momentum following Pant’s dismissal, they now face an uphill battle in pursuit of this daunting target.
🔴Live: India vs New Zealand: Another embarrassing performance from Indian batsmen, series in jeopardy
