Mumbai: India took cruise control on Day 2 of second Test in Mumbai on Saturday after New Zealand were bundled out for a mere 62 in their first innings. Mayank Agarwal(38*) and Cheteshwar Pujara(29*) are at the crease with India at 69/0 leading by 332 runs in their second innings with the hosts batting twice on the same day.
However, it was Kiwi spinner Ajaz Patel who made headlines as wrote his name into history picking all the ten Indian wickets becoming the only third cricketer after Jim Laker and Anil Kumble to do and that too in the city where he was actually born.
Patel picked up both Wriddhiman Saha and Ravichandran Ashwin early on in the same putting the hosts back to the wall who came out to bat with the overnight score of 221/4.Mayank Agarwal(150), who struck a century on the first day managed to add only 30 runs on top of that before edging one to Tom Blundell behind the stumps however with the side at once were on verge getting all-out under the 250 run mark, the Karnataka man did stitch a crucial 67 run stand alongside Axar Patel(52) to get India past the 300 run mark. Patel on the other brought up his maiden Test fifty in crucial times for his side before the host got all-out for 325.Ajaz touched the feat after Mohammed Siraj skied one to find to Rachin Ravindra.
However, soon the celebration were tamed as it was Siraj himself who packed the Kiwi top order with some quality seam bowling, notable of which was when he dismissed the gritty Tom Latham cheaply on a well attempted bouncer to which the Kiwi opener had no answers edging skywards before finding Shreyas Iyer.
The surging Hyderabad pacer jolted thrice with Will Young veteran Ross Taylor being the other scalps setting the tone up before the spinners came to party.Ravichandran Ashwin(4/8) lead the charge for India’s bowling unit with fellow spinners Axar Patel and Jayant Yadav giving ample support helping the hosts pack the Blackcaps for the pavilion in just 28.1 overs.
India in their second innings found the rhythm with much ease in the last session of the day with both Mayank and Pujara looking good at the middle and will hope to propel India’s chances to take a mammoth lead.
India 325 all-out(Mayank Agarwal 150, Axar Patel 52; Ajaz Patel 10/119) and 69/0 vs
New Zealand 62 all-out (Kyle Jamieson 17; Ravichandran Ashwin 4/8, Mohammed Siraj 3/19).India Lead by 332 runs. Match to continue.
