Henry, Boult bring New Zealand back into the contest
New Zealand's seamers led by Matt Henry revelled on an unfathomable Eden Gardens surface to leave the Kolkata Test tantalisingly poised at Tea on Day 3. After conceding a 112-run first innings lead, the visitors clawed back into the contest after reducing India to 110 for 6, with an overall lead of 222. On a misbehaving pitch with variable bounce, Henry and Trent Boult quickly reduced India to 43 for 4 before a counter-attacking 45 from Virat Kohli helped India allay a precarious period of play and stretch the lead past 200.
India were rocked early in the session, with Murali Vijay receiving a near unplayable delivery from Henry for the second time in the Test match. The ball hit the good length outside off-stump and deviated ever so slightly to catch the batsman's outside edge on its way to second slip. Shikhar Dhawan's attempts to enforce the play earned him three quick boundaries but run scoring became more difficult as the two quicks settled on a clever short-ball ploy. The in-form Cheteshwar Pujara fended awkardly before getting a rough deal from the umpire off a full delivery that appeared to be angling down the leg stump. It was a clever sucker ball from Henry nevertheless.
Dhawan failed to capitalise on his start, falling LBW to Boult, while Ajinkya Rahane was done in by the pitch as he miscued a pull, to leave India reeling at 43 for 4. Rohit Sharma joined the Indian captain out in the middle moments after he'd survived an extremely close call for leg before himself. That delivery from Boult had shot through and only it's position of pitching - outside the leg stump - saved Kohli.
With a resolute Sharma for company, Kohli put on his counter-attacking hat, swaying the balance back in India's favour. New Zealand resorted to their favoured short-ball ploy against Kohli with fielders at forward and backward short legs and long leg. However, the bowling lacked the necessary discipline for such an attack allowing the innings to flourish. Full balls were pulled away and the short delivery was upper cut over the ring fielders on the off side.
Jeetan Patel was introduced into the attack but the offie was managed comfortably by both Indian batsmen. Eventually, Ross Taylor went back to his premier seamer Boult, who trapped Kohli from around the wicket with another ball that barely rose above ankle height. But the Indian captain's 45 had ensured that his team were in no immediate danger. Ravichandran Ashwin was out LBW to Mitchell Santner at the stroke of Tea but India, with a useful tail to come, will believe that even 70-80 runs from here ought to put them in the driver's seat in the contest.
Earlier in the day,India claimed a potentially decisive first-innings lead despite an admirable show of resistance from Jeetan Patel on the third morning. The Warwickshire off-spinner scored a run-a-ball 47 as he and BJ Watling effectively put paid to Kohli's hopes of wrapping the New Zealand innings early with a 60-run stand for the eighth wicket. India were frustrated by a brief rain delay and overstepping transgression but once Ashwin gave them the breakthrough after drinks, Mohammed Shami ensured that they achieved a significant first innings advantage.
Patel traded caution for adventurism as early as the first ball of the day's play when he got a nice stride to meet a Bhuvneshwar Kumar length delivery and drove the seamer uppishly past mid-off for four. With the Indian seamers deploying additional catching fielders close to the batsmen, boundaries came thick and fast. Ravindra Jadeja was brought on with Shami getting a change of bowling ends but the left-armer's first over saw two boundaries scored on either side of the wicket.
A brief stoppage in play caused due to a passing shower annoyed Kohli to great lengths as the Indian captain appeared to suggest that the umpires ought to have kept the players on the field. The prospering stand was getting to India by this time.
As the partnership swelled past 30, Patel helped himself to more acts of contained dardevilry such as playing a paddle-sweep off Ravindra Jadeja. Three boundaries in one over took the offie to 47 before Jadeja appeared to have had his man with the slider. The umpire saw no objection in ruling it out LBW but the third-umpire overturned the decision after the video replays indicated Jadeja's lapse.
Patel, however, couldn't cash in on the reprieve as he decided to throw caution to the winds against Ashwin's first delivery of the day. It was the drifter from the wily offspinner which moved away after pitching, resulting in a horrible sweep miscue. It was an innings that could still prove to be largely decisive in the larger scheme of things.
Brief Scores India 316 & 110/6 (Virat Kohli 45, Rohit Sharma 20*; Matt Henry 3-34) lead New Zealand 204 (Jeetan Patel 47, Ross Taylor 36; Bhuvneshwar Kumar 5-48,Mohammed Shami 3-70) by 222 runs.
India were rocked early in the session, with Murali Vijay receiving a near unplayable delivery from Henry for the second time in the Test match. The ball hit the good length outside off-stump and deviated ever so slightly to catch the batsman's outside edge on its way to second slip. Shikhar Dhawan's attempts to enforce the play earned him three quick boundaries but run scoring became more difficult as the two quicks settled on a clever short-ball ploy. The in-form Cheteshwar Pujara fended awkardly before getting a rough deal from the umpire off a full delivery that appeared to be angling down the leg stump. It was a clever sucker ball from Henry nevertheless.
Dhawan failed to capitalise on his start, falling LBW to Boult, while Ajinkya Rahane was done in by the pitch as he miscued a pull, to leave India reeling at 43 for 4. Rohit Sharma joined the Indian captain out in the middle moments after he'd survived an extremely close call for leg before himself. That delivery from Boult had shot through and only it's position of pitching - outside the leg stump - saved Kohli.
With a resolute Sharma for company, Kohli put on his counter-attacking hat, swaying the balance back in India's favour. New Zealand resorted to their favoured short-ball ploy against Kohli with fielders at forward and backward short legs and long leg. However, the bowling lacked the necessary discipline for such an attack allowing the innings to flourish. Full balls were pulled away and the short delivery was upper cut over the ring fielders on the off side.
Jeetan Patel was introduced into the attack but the offie was managed comfortably by both Indian batsmen. Eventually, Ross Taylor went back to his premier seamer Boult, who trapped Kohli from around the wicket with another ball that barely rose above ankle height. But the Indian captain's 45 had ensured that his team were in no immediate danger. Ravichandran Ashwin was out LBW to Mitchell Santner at the stroke of Tea but India, with a useful tail to come, will believe that even 70-80 runs from here ought to put them in the driver's seat in the contest.
Earlier in the day,India claimed a potentially decisive first-innings lead despite an admirable show of resistance from Jeetan Patel on the third morning. The Warwickshire off-spinner scored a run-a-ball 47 as he and BJ Watling effectively put paid to Kohli's hopes of wrapping the New Zealand innings early with a 60-run stand for the eighth wicket. India were frustrated by a brief rain delay and overstepping transgression but once Ashwin gave them the breakthrough after drinks, Mohammed Shami ensured that they achieved a significant first innings advantage.
Patel traded caution for adventurism as early as the first ball of the day's play when he got a nice stride to meet a Bhuvneshwar Kumar length delivery and drove the seamer uppishly past mid-off for four. With the Indian seamers deploying additional catching fielders close to the batsmen, boundaries came thick and fast. Ravindra Jadeja was brought on with Shami getting a change of bowling ends but the left-armer's first over saw two boundaries scored on either side of the wicket.
A brief stoppage in play caused due to a passing shower annoyed Kohli to great lengths as the Indian captain appeared to suggest that the umpires ought to have kept the players on the field. The prospering stand was getting to India by this time.
As the partnership swelled past 30, Patel helped himself to more acts of contained dardevilry such as playing a paddle-sweep off Ravindra Jadeja. Three boundaries in one over took the offie to 47 before Jadeja appeared to have had his man with the slider. The umpire saw no objection in ruling it out LBW but the third-umpire overturned the decision after the video replays indicated Jadeja's lapse.
Patel, however, couldn't cash in on the reprieve as he decided to throw caution to the winds against Ashwin's first delivery of the day. It was the drifter from the wily offspinner which moved away after pitching, resulting in a horrible sweep miscue. It was an innings that could still prove to be largely decisive in the larger scheme of things.
Brief Scores India 316 & 110/6 (Virat Kohli 45, Rohit Sharma 20*; Matt Henry 3-34) lead New Zealand 204 (Jeetan Patel 47, Ross Taylor 36; Bhuvneshwar Kumar 5-48,Mohammed Shami 3-70) by 222 runs.
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