Pune, Oct 25 (IANS) Tom Latham played a fine captain’s knock of 86 as New Zealand ended day two’s play at 198/5 in 53 overs and lead India by 301 runs in the second Test at MCA Stadium on Friday.
After taking a 103-run first-innings lead, Latham was enterprising in his stay at the crease on a pitch assisting spinners and hit ten boundaries in his vital 133-ball knock of 86. Tom Blundell has also looked solid in his unbeaten 30, after putting a stand of 60 runs with Latham for the fifth wicket.
Onus will be on him and Glenn Phillips (nine not out) to bat India out of the match, and try to force a result on Saturday. For India, Washington Sundar again emerged to be the pick of bowlers with 4-56, while Ravichandran Ashwin took a wicket and rest of bowlers couldn’t step up to stop New Zealand’s charge.
The final session began with Sundar’s arm ball sneaking under Rachin Ravindra’s bat and hitting top of off-stump. While Latham got his fifty, after being dropped on 49 by Rishabh Pant, Daryl Mitchell got going with a sweep and down the ground boundaries.
But in a bid to hit a big shot off Washington’s slower ball, Mitchell holed out to long-on. From there, Latham and Blundell picked the lengths easily, especially against Ravindra Jadeja, to get boundaries mostly through the off-side.
But Washington struck to take his fourth wicket and 11th of the game by trapping Latham lbw on the sweep. Blundell and Phillips hanged around to ensure New Zealand ended a day full of complete domination on a high.
Brief Scores: New Zealand 259 and 198/5 in 53 overs (Tom Latham 86, Tom Blundell 30 not out; Washington Sundar 4-56) lead India 156 in 45.3 overs (Ravindra Jadeja 38, Yashasvi Jaiswal 30; Mitchell Santner 7-53, Glenn Phillips 2-26) by 188 runs
–IANS
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