Yashasvi Jaiswal Shines as India Eyes Improbable Win Against New Zealand
Pune: Yashasvi Jaiswal delivered a stellar performance, smashing an unbeaten 46 runs to propel India’s chase of 359 runs during the third day of the second Test against New Zealand at the MCA Stadium on Saturday. By lunch, the hosts had reached 81/1 in just 12 overs, with Jaiswal’s aggressive batting on a spin-friendly pitch captivating the audience.
Supported well by Shubman Gill, who remained not out on 22 off 20 balls, Jaiswal exhibited a series of impressive boundaries that kept the scoreboard ticking. Despite the early dismissal of Rohit Sharma, who fell cheaply to Mitchell Santner, the partnership between Jaiswal and Gill was crucial for India as they sought to put pressure on the New Zealand bowlers.
Jaiswal got off to a thrilling start, launching Tim Southee for a six and a four in the opening over. After Rohit managed a quick single off William O’Rourke, Jaiswal danced down the pitch to drive Southee through cover for another boundary. Following Rohit’s dismissal for just eight runs, Gill quickly got into his stride, hitting two superb sweeps off Ajaz Patel for boundaries, and adding more runs against Santner.
Jaiswal’s aggressive approach continued as he danced down the pitch to drive Santner for a four and followed it up with a six over the bowler’s head. He further dazzled the crowd with a spectacular inside-out shot over deep extra cover for another six off Glenn Phillips, culminating a vibrant lunch session for the Indian side.
Earlier, New Zealand struggled to build on their overnight lead of 301, adding just 57 runs before losing their last five wickets within the first hour of play. They were bowled out for 255, setting India a challenging target of 359. Ravindra Jadeja, who had gone wicketless in the first two days, made a remarkable comeback with three quick wickets, while Ravichandran Ashwin added another scalp.
Phillips managed to hit three boundaries off Ashwin before Jadeja broke through, bowling out Tom Blundell for 41. Jadeja continued his impressive spell, dismissing Santner and later taking his third wicket with Patel’s dismissal. Despite some late fireworks from Phillips, who hit two sixes, O’Rourke’s run-out brought New Zealand’s innings to a swift conclusion.
Brief Scores: New Zealand: 259 and 255 in 69.4 overs (Tom Latham 86, Glenn Phillips 48 not out; Washington Sundar 4-56, Ravindra Jadeja 3-72)
India: 156 and 81/1 in 12 overs (Yashasvi Jaiswal 46 not out, Shubman Gill 22 not out; Mitchell Santner 1-30)
New Zealand leads by 278 runs.
