At lunch on day four, India led by 133 runs with five wickets in hand
Lunch India 345 and 84 for 5 (Ashwin 20*, Iyer 18*, Jamieson 2-21, Southee 2-27) lead New Zealand 296 by 133 runs
Tim Southee and Kyle Jamieson rocked India’s batting line-up on a slow fourth-day pitch, reducing the hosts to 51 for 5 at one stage of their second innings, in the first Test in Kanpur.
Shreyas Iyer and R Ashwin then added an unbroken 33 for the sixth wicket to provide India some relief, taking them to 84 for 5 at lunch, with their lead now 133.
Starting the day on 14 for 1, Cheteshwar Pujara and Mayank Agarwal were offered some freebies on the pads as Jamieson and Southee bowled straight with a catching short midwicket in place. While Agarwal struggled, Pujara made good use of the opportunities and moved to 22 off 32 balls.
However, Jameison then banged one short, and even though the ball was angling down the leg side, Pujara ended up fending at it and gloved it to the wicketkeeper. The on-field umpire ruled it not out but New Zealand got the decision overturned on review.
Ajinkya Rahane had scored a valuable 35 in the first innings but on Sunday, he didn’t look comfortable at the crease. He opened his account off his 14th ball with a four off Ajaz Patel but fell off the next ball, playing for turn and getting struck on the pad by one that went on with the arm from the left-arm spinner.
Coming back for his second spell of the day, Southee drew the outside edge of Iyer’s bat straightaway, but the ball went for four through the gap between the wicketkeeper and a wide first slip. That prompted New Zealand to have a more conventional slip cordon, and soon there was another opportunity. In Southee’s next over, Agarwal edged an outswinger to second slip, where Tom Latham took a tumbling catch to his left.
Two balls later, Southee jolted India further by dismissing Ravindra Jadeja lbw from around the wicket. With half the side back in the pavilion and it not being clear then if Wriddhiman Saha – who was off the field on day three, nursing a stiff neck – would bat, India’s lead of 100 looked paltry.
Iyer and Ashwin, though, eased some of the pressure by hitting four fours in the next three overs, and played out the rest of the session without further damage.
Hemant Brar is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo