India vs New Zealand 2024/25, IND vs NZ 3rd Test Match Report, November 01 – 05, 2024

Pant was 21 off 16 then, India 52 for 5 at the moment. Let the moment not blemish the knock that kept Indian hopes alive while others around him seemed unable to bat against spin on a treacherous surface, one their management asked for and was duly delivered.

The problem with batting on such tracks is the vast margin for errors bowlers have. Even if you bowl a rank long hop, you can protect the boundaries with in-out fields because the ball comes off the pitch at varying pace. Pant’s genius lay in still managing to manipulate shots enough to beat the deep fielders. A swivel almost onto the stumps to hit squarer. A collapse onto the knee to sweep finer. Almost always sweeping himself off his feet to impart that extra bit of power. All this while maintaining 84% control rate.

As a result, Ajaz was practically playing two matches: one against Pant, another against rest of India. Against rest of India, Ajaz bowled 167 balls for 112 runs and nine wickets. Against Pant, he went for 36 off 23 without any success.

Take nothing away from Ajaz’s comeback, though. Back to his city of birth, looking for a way back after two ordinary Tests, he found his rhythm post lunch on day two and has never looked back. He continued it into the second innings, bowling on a good length, drawing forward-defence from the batters without letting them reach the pitch of the ball.

Shubman Gill left one alone without covering the line of off, leaving himself open to the vagaries of the pitch. The ball didn’t turn, and took the off stump out. Virat Kohli was a sitting duck as he defended and edged into the big mitts of Dary Mitchell at slip. Ravindra Jadeja, who earlier completed his third career 10-wicket match haul and added 42 with Pant, finally got one that turned too much and was caught at bat-pad. Only Sarfaraz Khan’s wicket was a gift because of the gremlins in the minds. His two-ball innings consisted of two premeditated sweeps to what were otherwise boundary balls. One a single, and the other a full toss helped straight into deep midwicket’s welcoming hands.

The openers fell to Matt Henry and Glenn Phillips. Rohit Sharma seemed like he wanted to get ahead of New Zealand while the roller’s effect was still fresh after New Zealand refused to get the pitch rolled as their last wicket added three runs to the overnight lead of 143. Two boundaries came, but the third attempt was to a ball not short enough, and Phillips caught the top-edged pull at midwicket.

Phillips, who has far exceeded expectations as the second spinner of the side, continued the good work by not bowling any bad balls, and was duly rewarded with an edge from Yashasvi Jaiswal on the forward-defence.

Pant, though, was playing a different game. His first thought was a boundary, then running, and then defence. He opened his account with a flat six back over Ajaz’s head. That intent forced Ajaz to bowl quicker and shorter to him, getting India a set of two bye boundaries. His reverse-sweeping got rid of short fine leg, and benefitted him when he top-edged a sweep precisely there.

After losing Jadeja, he found the boundary two times in the last two overs before lunch to bring up his fifty and leave India hopeful of a miracle.