New Zealand stage great escape, Kanpur Test vs India ends in pulsating draw

New Zealand's Rachin Ravindra and Ajaz Patel came up with a determined performance to hold off the Indian spinners in the final hour of the Test to earn a commendable draw in Kanpur.

Rachin Ravindra and Ajaz Patel take a run against India at Kanpur. (Image: Twitter)
By Nilavro Ghosh | Nov 29, 2021 | 3 Min Read follow icon Follow Us

An exceptional batting performance by Rachin Ravindra and Ajaz Patel ensured that the first of the two-match Test series between India and New Zealand ended in a draw on Monday. India were undoubtedly in the driver’s seat for the most part on Day 5, but they just could not bag the one final wicket to win the match. The Kiwis were chasing a total of 284 and they ended their second innings with 165-9 on the board. The draw will feel like a loss to the Indian team but it is a fine result for the visitors. For the hosts, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja used all of their experience to almost seal the game in their team’s favour, but it was just not to be. Jadeja picked four wickets while Ashwin bagged three, as the latter became India’s most successful off-spinner in Tests. The Kiwis can be very proud of the incredible Rachindra-Ajaz partnership right at the end that saved the match for them.

RACHIN RAVINDRA AND AJAZ PATEL’S INCREDIBLE RESILIENCE

Ravindra and Ajaz might not have scored many runs, but they are the reason behind New Zealand’s great escape. The partnership was all about resilience and the duo showed that in plenty. Facing world-class spinners like Ashwin and Jadeja is no small task and the two defended their stumps with everything they had. Ravindra remained unbeaten on 18 off 91 balls while Ajaz was not out on two off 23 deliveries.

RAVICHANDRAN ASHWIN, RAVINDRA JADEJA SHOW THEIR CLASS

The plaudits must be given to the Indian bowlers for their performance on the day despite the draw, especially Jadeja and Ashwin. The duo used all of their experience to derail the Kiwi batting order and almost win the game for the team. Jadeja bagged four wickets in the second innings and Ashwin picked three. With the wicket of Latham, Ashwin created history.

It was his 418th Test wicket, taking him past Harbhajan Singh’s tally of 417. Ashwin is now India’s most successful off-spinner in Tests. While Harbhajan took 103 Tests to accumulate the tally of wickets, Ashwin has achieved the feat in just 80 Tests. Pacer Umesh Yadav and all-rounder Axar Patel also chipped in with one wicket each. Axar had taken a brilliant five-wicket haul in the first innings but was not that effective on Day 5.

TOM LATHAM CREATES HISTORY

The Kiwis had a good start to the run chase with opener Tom Latham scoring a splendid half-century. He became the first overseas batter since Shane Watson in 2011 to score two half-centuries in one Test match in India. Latham scored 52 runs off 146 deliveries in the second innings. He had scored 95 in the first innings.

Will Young might have been dismissed early but Will Sommerville, batting at number three on the day, did a fantastic job. He scored 36 runs off 110 deliveries. There would have been a lot of hopes from New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson but he failed to live up to the mark on the day. Williamson only scored 24 runs off 112 deliveries.





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