Gritty Kiwis hang on for draw in thrilling finish to 1st India vs New Zealand Test

New Zealand’s last-wicket pair of Rachin Ravindra (18* off 91) and Ajaz Patel (2* off 23) battled it out for 8.4 overs as the visitors escaped with a draw in the first Test against India in Kanpur. Chasing 284, the Kiwis ended on 165 for 9 in 98 overs.

When Tim Southee was dismissed for 4 in the 90th over by Ravindra Jadeja, India had genuine hopes of winning the Test. However, debutant Ravindra dug in hard and found good support from a resolute Ajaz as the New Zealand duo kept Indian spinners at bay in fading light.

Jadeja (4/40) and Ravichandran Ashwin (3/35) kept India’s hopes alive till the end but failed to break the resistance of Ravindra and Ajaz. Axar Patel, who claimed a five-fer in the first innings, could only manage one scalp on Day 5.

After a first session in which India could not claim a single New Zealand wicket, the hosts scalped three in the second including one each at the start and the end. The final session began on a high for India, with Axar trapping Henry Nicholls leg before for 1. The New Zealand left-hander played inside the line of a length ball and completely missed it. He went for the review but replays showed the ball would have crashed into middle stump.

An error of judgement then cost New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson (24) his wicket. The captain, who occupied the crease for 112 balls, was trapped in front of the stumps by a length ball from Jadeja that came in with the arm and also kept low. Williamson was stranded on the back foot and failed to get his bat down in time.

With time running out, India kept their hopes alive as Tom Blundell (2) perished to Ashwin in unlucky fashion. The New Zealand keeper-batter defended a length ball from the spinner on the front foot. However, the ball went off the inside half of the bat and somehow rolled backwards to hit the leg stump.

India thought they had their eighth when Ravindra was adjudged lbw to Jadeja with a ball that spun in sharply from outside off. Ravindra got yet another on-field decision reversed as replays showed he was struck outside the line of the stumps.

On the last ball of the 85th over, Cheteshwar Pujara, at leg slip, failed to latch on to a sharp chance offered by Kyle Jamieson off Ashwin’s bowling. However, Jadeja sent back the tall Kiwi by trapping him lbw for 5 with a length ball that pitched around middle and spun enough to beat the outside edge and hit the back pad.

The left-arm spinner also had Southee (4) leg-before in similar fashion. This time the ball pitched around off, but it was again going on to hit the stumps. India would have been confident of claiming the last wicket but Ravindra and Ajaz displayed commendable calm under immense pressure.

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New Zealand defy India in wicketless first session

New Zealand opener Tom Latham contributed a hard-fought fifty. Pic: ICC

Nightwatchman Will Somerville and Tom Latham frustrated India as New Zealand did not lose a single wicket in the first session of Day 5 of the Kanpur Test.

Resuming the day on 4 for 1, New Zealand went to Lunch at 79 for 1, with Somerville unbeaten on 36 and Latham on 35. Stand-in skipper Ajinkya Rahane tried all his options but could not separate the resolute Kiwi duo. New Zealand were lucky as a couple of edges did not carry but otherwise they were solid in the session.

In the 19th over, India went for a review against Latham after Jadeja struck Latham on the back pad. However, replays showed that the impact was a long way outside off and the hosts lost a review. The 50-run stand soon came up when Somerville flicked the left-arm spinner towards fine leg.

Somerville’s vigil ended with the first ball off the second session. The nightwatchman, who displayed immense patience in the first session, mistimed a hook off Umesh Yadav and was brilliantly caught by Shubman Gill, diving forward while running in from fine leg.

Latham carried on the fight for New Zealand and reached a patient fifty by flicking Ashwin between mid-on and midwicket for three. However, the Kiwi opener perished soon after for 52. He tried to hit a short of length ball through covers but the delivery stayed low and Latham could only drag it back on to the stumps. With the wicket, Ashwin also went past Harbhajan Singh (417) to become the third-highest wicket-taker for India in Test matches.

Ross Taylor survived a close stumping call against Ashwin in the 57th over. The veteran batter went for a flick but missed the ball that was away from him. KS Bharat kept a close watch on Taylor’s feet to see if it went up. As soon as he spotted an opportunity he flicked the bails, but there was no conclusive evidence to prove that the batter’s foot was in the air when the keeper took off the bails.

Jadeja provided India with the big breakthrough at the stroke of Tea. Taylor (2) was rapped on the pads with a length ball that came in with the angle and struck the batter plumb in front of the stumps. The former New Zealand captain did not bother reviewing and headed back to the pavilion. Kiwi skipper Williamson was unbeaten on 24 as the visitors went to Lunch at 125 for 4.

India got five more in the last session but New Zealand had enough fight left in the tank to escape with a draw in a Test that had its fair share of momentum swings.