Virat Kohli-led Team India dominated the third day of the ongoing Test in Mumbai. The hosts started with another 100 runs in the second innings which helped them set a mammoth target of 540 runs for New Zealand. In reply, the visiting team has lost 5 wickets and are 400 runs away from victory. The result will probably come on Monday, but before moving on to the last day, let’s take a look at the talking points of the third day.
Mayank Agarwal hits half century After playing a brilliant innings of 150 runs in the first innings India The opener scored 62 runs on the third day of the current Test. He has now become the fourth Indian opener to score two half-centuries in a Test in Mumbai. He joined the list of batsmen like Chetan Chauhan (52, 84 in 1978), Sunil Gavaskar (205, 73 in 1978) and Kris Srikkanth (71 in 1987, 65).
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Ejaz Patel breaks Ian Botham’s 41-year-old record: The left-arm off-spinner took four wickets in the second innings on Sunday to finish with an overall match of 14 for 227. He bowled 73.5 overs in the entire game. He broke former England captain Sir Ian Botham’s 41-year-old record of 13 for 106 against India in Mumbai. Australia’s Steve O’Keefe (12 for 70 in 2017) is the third best bowler in and against India.
Ashwin’s excellence in 2021: Ravichandran Ashwin took three wickets in the final session before stumps on the third day. As he dismissed Ross Taylor, he became the first player to take 50 Test wickets in a calendar year. Pakistan pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi is closest to him with 44 wickets, followed by Hasan Ali (39 wickets). Ashwin also equaled former Kiwi pacer Richard Hadlee’s highest number of wickets – 65 – in the India vs New Zealand Test matches.
Rachin Ravindra’s first Test wicket: Rachin made his Test debut in Kanpur but could not take wickets there. However, he was widely praised for saving the game for his team on the final day. Coming to Mumbai, he struck in the second innings and overtook Shubman Gill, who went on to score a half-century for less than 3 runs. It was his first Test wicket after which he took three wickets including the prized skull of Virat Kohli.
Read also | IND vs NZ, 2nd Test: BCCI gives a big update on Mayank Agarwal and Shubman Gill’s injuries
Axar Patel’s batting ability: He scored a half-century in the first innings which helped India post a big total on the board. Akshar then played an unbeaten 41 off 26 balls and proved his mettle as a batsman down the order. Also, he didn’t let the team feel the absence of Ravindra Jadeja, who does the same thing when he is in the mix.
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