Star left-arm orthodox spinner Ravindra Jadeja helped India restrict New Zealand to just 235 at the Wankhede Stadium on day one of the third Test before the hosts conceded the advantage at Stumps by losing four wickets.
Jadeja was brilliant with the ball in hand as he claimed the 14th five-for of his Test career and helped the Rohit Sharma-led side stay in the contest after losing the toss.
Jadeja’s five-for included the big wickets of Will Young (71), Tom Blundell (0) and Glenn Phillips (17 runs). His five-wicket haul also helped him surpass Ishant Sharma and Zaheer Khan on the list of the leading wicket-takers for India in the Test format.
The star-allrounder admitted that the strip at Wankhede has plenty of bounce but a spinner needs to put enough revolutions on the ball to make the most out of it.
“I thought you need to mix and match (in terms of speed). The wicket has bounce but off the surface, the ball isn’t taking off. Unless you put in a lot of shoulders and get the revs, it is difficult,” Jadeja told Jio Cinema after the end of the day’s play in Mumbai.
The 35-year-old also lauded Washington Sundar, who snared four wickets in the first innings and played the supporting act to perfection. Sundar’s spell also witnessed the dismissal of Daryl Mitchell – New Zealand’s most successful batter on day one.
“It was a special effort as it wasn’t easy to bowl in this heat. Even Washy (Washington Sundar) bowled well and everyone played their roles to perfection. Now our batters will need to perform collectively,” Jadeja added.
Notably, India were in the driving seat after a 50-plus stand between Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill but Ajaz Patel brought the visitors back into the contest. Patel removed Jaiswal and also got rid of Mohammed Siraj who was promoted up the order to shield the middle order.
Patel’s spell allowed New Zealand to see the back of Virat Kohli after he fell short of his crease while attempting a dangerous single. India are 149 runs behind the Kiwis leading into the second day.