India faced a challenging situation on the third day of the third Test match against New Zealand, struggling at 92/6 during lunch. India needed 55 more runs to win with Rishabh Pant being the standout player, scoring a crucial 64 runs.
After lunch, Pant hit two boundaries off Ajaz Patel but was controversially given out, which led to a slow walk back to the pavilion. India’s score was 106/7 with three wickets in hand and 41 runs needed. Pant questioned the decision, but the third umpire upheld the dismissal, leaving Pant visibly upset.
At the crease are Ravindra Jadeja and R Ashwin, aiming to prevent a clean sweep series defeat. India’s chase of 147 began poorly with the team at 29/5, as top-order batsmen Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Sarfaraz Khan struggled.
Pant managed to keep hopes alive with an aggressive yet cautious approach. He and Jadeja added 42 runs for the sixth wicket. Patel was exceptional, taking 4-43 in the second innings and adding to his first-innings figures of 5-103, making a total of 23 wickets at Wankhede, the highest by any visiting spinner at the venue.
Ab de Villers expressed his concerns on X, he said, “Controversy! Little grey area once again. Did Pant get bat on that or not? Problem is when the ball passes the bat at exactly the same time a batter hits his pad snicko will pick up the noise. But how sure are we he hit it? I’ve always worried about this and here it happens at a huge moment in a big Test match. Where’s hotspot?!”
Despite Rohit Sharma’s early aggression, scoring two boundaries, he was caught by Glenn Phillips, leaving India at 13/1. Gill, Kohli, and Jaiswal also fell cheaply. Gill misjudged a delivery by Patel, Kohli edged to Daryl Mitchell, and Jaiswal was out LBW despite reviewing the decision.
Sarfaraz Khan added to the woes, falling to Patel, making it 29/5. Pant showcased his prowess by hitting a six off Patel and scoring quick boundaries against Phillips. Despite a missed chance by New Zealand to review an appeal against Pant, he continued to score, reaching his half-century off 48 balls with seven boundaries and one six.
Earlier, Jadeja claimed a five-wicket haul, wrapping up New Zealand’s second innings for 174 in 45.5 overs. Ajaz Patel’s dismissal after attempting a slog helped Jadeja achieve this, ending with match figures of 10-120, his second-best performance after his 10-110 against Australia.
India aimed to chase down the target on a challenging pitch with sharp turn and variable bounce, remaining hopeful despite the difficult circumstances.
