New Zealand has a 143-run lead against India in the third and final match of the series at the Wankhede Stadium.
It was only the second day of the test match but the pitch turned square. Batting was tough with the spinners thriving and making life difficult for the batters. 14 wickets fell on the first day of the game. The second day saw 15 wickets with the spinners picking up 13 wickets.
New Zealand ended the 2nd day at 171-9 with a lead of 143 runs. They’d like to add as many runs as they can on the third day. The tricky part for the Indian team will be chasing a total close to (at least) 150 runs. It can be more than that.
The highest run-chase ever at the Wankhede Stadium in test cricket is 164 runs. It was by South Africa back in 2000. The second-highest run-chase at the venue is by England back in 1980 when they chased down 98 runs.
Clearly, India will be in for the second-highest run-chase ever at the Wankhede Stadium and with the pitch turning into a minefield, it won’t be easy for the Indian batters.
Jadeja-Ashwin gave India the upper hand in the 3rd test
India finished their first innings at 263 runs with a lead of 28 runs. New Zealand kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin proved why they are one of the best in the format. Jadeja picked up 4 wickets with Ashwin picking up 3.
Jadeja first dismissed Daryl Mitchell who was looked like getting his eye in on this pitch. Ashwin then picked up Glenn Phillips and the set batter Will Young to get India into the driving position in the game.
India will look to wrap up things quickly with the ball at the start of Day 3. The Indian batters, especially the openers will have to give a good start. Rohit Sharma has struggled with the bat in this series but he’ll look to lead from the front in this game. Indian fans will have high hopes from the likes of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli to chase down the target easily.
