IND vs NZ, 2nd Test, Day-2: Mitchell Santner and Tom Latham were in charge as New Zealand dominated India on Day 2 of the second Test in Pune. And even though they dominated both with the ball and in taking their lead past over 300 runs at stumps, it was not without an early advantage India took.
Stumps on Day 2
— BCCI (@BCCI) October 25, 2024
New Zealand extend their lead to 301 runs
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India Starts Strong But Collapses
India started well, with Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal getting a good feel of things, hitting boundaries, and getting into the rhythm. But one dismissal of Gill precipitated the dramatic collapse of the batting order.
Virat Kohli’s dismissal came when he missed a low full toss, followed by several wickets for India. Sarfaraz Khan and Rishabh Pant soon followed him on the field; poor shot selection increased their problem while a tricky pitch troubled them.
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Santner’s Magical Bowling
During the morning session, six wickets were lost at the cost of New Zealand bowlers led by Santner. Taking two recognized batsmen in the field, Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja the pitch, Jadeja tried to reduce the deficit significantly on Ajaz Patel but was stopped in his tracks by Santner who finished with a fabulous seven-wicket haul.
New Zealand Expands Their Lead
Once New Zealand had built a healthy lead, their openers did not let go of the pressure on Indian bowlers. Though Ashwin and Washington Sundar could get rid of Devon Conway and Will Young, it was Latham who now started looking like an even more unplayable batsman at the crease.
As the pitch broke down, New Zealand went for quick runs. Washington took the tournament’s most vital wicket of Rachin Ravindra, but Daryl Mitchell’s aggressive play told the tale that New Zealand was eager to express itself. Even after Washington sent Mitchell back, New Zealand’s run flow didn’t change – Indian bowlers did not even bowl a maiden over in the first 40 overs.
Latham’s Valiant Knock
Latham’s 86 runs will be the difference, although he fell short of a hundred, for it was so crucial to the context of the match and further consolidated New Zealand’s advantage as they looked for a lead in the second Test.
Brief Scores: New Zealand 259 & 198/5 (Tom Latham 86; Washington Sundar 4/56) lead India 156 (Ravindra Jadeja 38; Mitchell Santner 7/53) by 301 runs.
