2nd Test: India eye victory; NZ lose five wickets
India are on the brink of winning the second Test against New Zealand at Wankhede. They require five wickets as the Kiwis have been reduced to 140/5 while chasing a mammoth 540. Ravichandran Ashwin gave India the first three breakthroughs before Axar Patel struck. Earlier, Ajaz Patel impressed with another fruitful outing. Here are the key takeaways from Day 3.
How did Day 3 pan out?
India started with their overnight score of 69/0 on Day 3. Mayank Agarwal and Cheteshwar Pujara took the hosts past 100. Virat Kohli and Shubman Gill took over thereafter. However, Ajaz and Rachin Ravindra headlined the show in the second session. India declared on 276/7, giving NZ a 540-run target. NZ faltered initially, but Daryl Mitchell and Henry Nicholls kept them afloat (140/5).
Another 50+ score for Mayank
Mayank raced to his fifth Test half-century in the second innings. He was flawless until Ajaz outfoxed him. Mayank fired 62 (108) with the help of 9 fours and 1 six. He added 28 runs to his overnight score on Day 3. Mayank had slammed his fourth Test ton in the first innings (150). He recorded his third score of 150 or more (Tests).
Mayank reaches this landmark
Mayank has become the fourth Indian opener with two fifty-plus scores in a Test at Wankhede (150 and 62). The likes of Chetan Chauhan (1978), Sunil Gavaskar (1978), Kris Srikkanth (1987) are the other Indians on the tally.
Ajaz attained these feats
Ajaz was the pick of NZ bowlers, having scalped four wickets (106 runs) in the second innings. He extended his tally of wickets in the Test to 14. Ajaz now has the best match bowling figures by a bowler against India (14/225). He recorded the best bowling figures by a visiting bowler in India. Ajaz broke the record of Ian Botham (13/106 in 1980).
A brilliant cameo by Axar Patel
All-rounder Axar Patel played another phenomenal knock in the Test. He hammered a quickfire 41 off 26 balls with the help of 3 fours and 4 sixes. In the first innings, he took 128 balls to score 52 (5 fours and 1 six). This was Axar's maiden half-century in Test cricket. He was the standout batter in the middle order in both innings.
Mithcell, Nicholls show resistance; Ashwin takes three wickets
New Zealand are certainly in a spot of bother at the moment. They are tottering on 140/5 and require 400 more runs to win. Daryl Mitchell played a valiant knock under pressure (60). Henry Nicholls, who also showed promise, returned unbeaten on 36 (86). Meanwhile, Ashwin has been the pick of India's bowlers so far, taking three wickets.
