India ended day four on a high after half-centuries from Shreyas Iyer and Wriddhiman Saha allowed them to set New Zealand a target of 284 before Ravichandran Ashwin struck late to get the scalp of Will Young.
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India declared at 234-7 against New Zealand on Day 4 of the first of the two-match Test series between the two nations on Sunday. The Kiwis will have to chase down a total of 284 runs in order to win the match. The hosts found themselves in a spot of bother when they were down at 51-5. However, fantastic knocks by Shreyas Iyer and veteran Wriddhiman Saha ensured that the team got to a fighting total. Shreyas, who scored a century in the first innings, scored 65 runs while Saha remained unbeaten on 61. For the Kiwis, Southee and Jamieson were impressive with the ball as they picked three wickets each. At stumps on Day 4, New Zealand had a score of 4-1 on the board as Ravichandran Ashwin sent Will Young back to the dressing room.
The Indian team did not have a good start to their second innings with the bat, None of the batters could really get going and they lost wickets at regular intervals. At one point, they had lost five wickets for 51 runs. Opener Mayank Agarwal scored 17 runs and veteran batter Cheteshwar Pujara made 22 runs. They were the highest scorers in the top order.
A lot of the Indian hopes were pinned on Shreyas Iyer when he came out to bat. Fortunately, he lived up to the expectations. Iyer showed his class yet again as he scored a brilliant half-century. He scored 65 runs off 125 deliveries in an innings that included eight boundaries and one maximum.
Another batter who helped India get to a strong position was Wriddhiman Saha. The veteran was facing some issues with his neck and did not really seem comfortable in the middle. However, he used all his skill and experience to score an unbeaten 61 off 126 deliveries. The knock included four boundaries and one maximum and was a crucial one.
Saha was very well supported by all-rounder Axar Patel who had taken a brilliant five-wicket haul on Day 3. Axar scored an unbeaten 28 off 67 deliveries and hit two boundaries and one maximum in the process.
The Kiwi bowlers were frustrated in the latter half of the Indian innings but they had started it very well. Pacers Tim Southee and Kyle Jamieson were at the top of their game as they bagged three wickets each. Southee ended the day with figures of 3-75 while Jamieson recorded figures of 3-40. Spinner Ajaz Patel also chipped in with a wicket as he finished with figures of 1-60.
India would have wanted an early wicket to damage the Kiwi run chase and that is exactly what veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin gave them. The off-spinner dismissed Will Young, who scored 89 runs in the first innings, thanks to an lbw decision. Young did want to review the umpire’s decision but ran out of time before he could do so.
