Electing to bat first, New Zealand were 197/3 at one stage and it felt like they would go past 300. But Washington displayed an exhibition of drift and dip, while varying his pace well and turned the game on its head for India and keep New Zealand to one below 260.
His senior off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin chipped in with 3-64 as the innings marked the first-ever instance of all ten wickets taken by India’s right-arm off-spinners in a Test match. Before the game, Washington being drafted in ahead of Kuldeep Yadav raised eyebrows, but his sensational bowling performance on a slow black-soil pitch shut down all those questions.
In the morning, Devon Conway and captain Tom Latham hit five boundaries between themselves, before the latter fell early to Ashwin, who got the length ball to straighten after pitching on leg-stump and trapped the left-handed batter lbw for 15 off 22 balls.
Conway and Will Young got some easy singles on offer, while hitting boundaries occasionally to stitch a 44-run stand for the second wicket, with India’s spinners bowling quicker through the air. Ashwin then strangled Young down leg, and Sarfaraz Khan, stationed at short leg, prodded captain Rohit Sharma to take a review.
Replays justified Sarfaraz’s conviction as there was a spike detected on the ultra-edge when the ball passed off the gloves, before being pouched by Rishabh Pant, as Young was dismissed for 18. Conway was solid like a rock, especially in his sweeps, while Rachin Ravindra surviving a few close brushes till lunch came.
Resuming from 92/2 in the post-lunch session, Conway started with a cracking cover drive off Jasprit Bumrah to get his fifty. He then capitalised on width from Bumrah’s deliveries by punching off the backfoot and opening the face of the bat late to get back-to-back boundaries.
From the other end, Ravindra began to find his groove by using Bumrah’s pace to run through the gap between slip and gully for four. Conway continued to be impressive with his drive and reverse-sweeps, before poking at a short and spinning away ball from Ashwin, with the edge caught by Rishabh Pant.
Ravindra took over the run-scoring mantle by lofting Jadeja for six, before beautifully flicking Akash Deep for four more. After getting his fifty with a stylish flick going through the hands of short mid-wicket for four, Ravindra had two more boundaries coming off Akash via cut and outside edge.
The 59-run stand for the fourth wicket between Ravindra and Daryl Mitchell was brought to a halt by Washington, who turned the tide for India in the fag end of the second session with his dip and drift. Washington got a tossed-up delivery to turn away sharply from the middle stump and hit top of the off-stump with a peach of a delivery.
At the stroke of tea, Washington again brought joy to himself and Indian team by getting a length ball to grip and turn sharply into Blundell, who aimed for a flick, but was castled through the gate.
Post-tea, Washington asked for a review after rapping Daryl Mitchell on the pads with a sharp turning delivery, which proved to be a good review as replays showed ball going on to clip leg-stump. Mitchell Santner tried upping the ante by hitting boundaries, but Washington continued to hurt New Zealand.
Glenn Phillips holed out to long-off off him, while Tim Southee and Ajaz Patel were castled by the young all-rounder, and Washington wrapped up the New Zealand innings in style by ratting Santner with grip and turn to take out the off-stump, as the visitors’ lost their last seven wickets for 62 runs.
Brief Scores: New Zealand 259 in 79.1 overs (Devon Conway 76, Rachin Ravindra 66; Washington Sundar 7-59, Ravichandran Ashwin 3-64) against India
--IANS
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