08/10Result
3rd Test, New Zealand tour of India at Indore, Oct 8-11 2016
India won by 321 runs
Player of the Match
Ravichandran Ashwin
Ravichandran AshwinIndia
08/10Result
3rd Test, New Zealand tour of India at Indore, Oct 8-11 2016
India won by 321 runs
Player of the Match
Ravichandran Ashwin
Ravichandran AshwinIndia

END OF OVER:
49 | 8 Runs | IND: 216/3

  • Cheteshwar Pujara101 (148b)
  • Ajinkya Rahane23 (20b)
  • James Neesham4-0-27-0
  • Matt Henry7-1-22-0

1.18 pm Ah, India have declared, setting New Zealand a target of 475, and giving themselves four and a half-sessions to push for a series whitewash. Whether that happens or not, Virat Kohli will receive the Test mace for being the No. 1-ranked side after the series.

Considering all the talk around him, you'd think Pujara's draining the life out of the Indian batting line-up. The truth is that he stitches it together. Fine innings, a satisfying one too because he kept falling short of those three-figures in this series. And in Indore, with the team batting for a declaration, he's produced a hundred in only 147 balls; his final fifty runs came at more than a run a ball!

Rajan Prasad: "@Greg, If India cannot bowl NZ out in a minimum 135 overs on the 5th day, it will be India to be blamed, not Pujara. More than enough time is left."

48.6
0
Neesham to Pujara, no run, full, down leg, goes for a flick, misses.
48.5
4
Neesham to Pujara, FOUR, there it is. A hundred, to go with three fifties in the series. Gets inside the line of a short ball and swivel pulls it to the long leg boundary to have the entire ground up on its feet. "Pu-ja-ra! Pu-ja-ra! Pu-ja-ra!" It's deafening and he soaks it all in with a big smile

A few men have come up to stop the single

48.4
1
Neesham to Rahane, 1 run, lifts a full delivery on off stump to the left of long-off
48.3
1
Neesham to Pujara, 1 run, slower ball outside off, dabbed to deep third man. Three needed for those triple-digits
48.2
0
Neesham to Pujara, no run, overpitched on the pads, Pujara misses out by hitting the ball straight to short midwicket
48.1
2
Neesham to Pujara, 2 runs, meets the low full toss on leg stump with a deft little flick to the left of long leg

Greg: "With the track playing like it is, and having a 450+ lead, they should have declared already to give themselves maximum time to force a result. This is just silly now. Yes I know getting milestones is important, but a draw instead of a win for the sake of a personal 100 isn't a good exchange" It has slowed down, but India have shown they can pick up wickets despite that

END OF OVER:
48 | 4 Runs | IND: 208/3

  • Cheteshwar Pujara94 (143b)
  • Ajinkya Rahane22 (19b)
  • Matt Henry7-1-22-0
  • James Neesham3-0-19-0
47.6
1
Henry to Pujara, 1 run, opens the face and steers the length ball past point. Pujara moves on to 94 and that's drinks
47.5
1
Henry to Rahane, 1 run, takes on the short ball, but a lot of its pace is spirited away when it hits the deck. Rahane gets a bit of an inside edge to square leg
47.4
1
Henry to Pujara, 1 run, full toss outside off, bashed to long-off

Rahane walks up to Pujara to have a little word

47.3
0
Henry to Pujara, no run, good length on middle, sent to short midwicket

Those of you on declaration watch, Rohit is padded up.

47.2
1
Henry to Rahane, 1 run, stays low, comes so slowly off the deck too. Rahane is down the track, trying to flat-bat the ball. Inside edge to the wicketkeeper
47.1
0
Henry to Rahane, no run, full and just outside off, Rahane steers it to point

Henry comes on.

Sivashankar : "By reading the comments about ball coming slowly off the deck, it should be easy for the kiwis to play out for a draw" Nothing will be easy against Ashwin and Jadeja

END OF OVER:
47 | 8 Runs | IND: 204/3

  • Cheteshwar Pujara92 (140b)
  • Ajinkya Rahane20 (16b)
  • James Neesham3-0-19-0
  • Jeetan Patel14-0-56-2

Mudit: "@Prozium, I think a 200 from Kane in the next innings will even things out a bit? ;) "

46.6
2
Neesham to Pujara, 2 runs, dabbed it to the fielder at the third man boundary
46.5
1
Neesham to Rahane, 1 run, another short, slower ball, Rahane pulls it to long leg
46.4
4
Neesham to Rahane, FOUR, you little beauty! This seemed like a legcutter, and if so, it's magnificent that he was able to hold his shape and time his cover drive so well. Made sure to keep it away from the long-off fielder too; had to make a little room to do so and puts it away in style.
46.3
0
Neesham to Rahane, no run, skips down the track, Neesham bowls it short, Rahane goes for a pull but the ball sneaks below him. I think there's a cartoon in there somewhere. All it needed was the bowler sticking his tongue out at the batsman
46.2
0
Neesham to Rahane, no run, closed the face a touch too early, and Rahane gets a bit of a leading edge to cover. The pitch has slowed down considerably.
46.1
1
Neesham to Pujara, 1 run, full on middle and leg, glanced away to long leg

Neesham returns

Prozium: "Pujara crossed 350 runs aggregate in the series with rahane following close second..India has 3 300+ batsman..Kiwis has Latham at top with 188..shows the gap in batting performances of two sides."

END OF OVER:
46 | 11 Runs | IND: 196/3

  • Ajinkya Rahane15 (12b)
  • Cheteshwar Pujara89 (138b)
  • Jeetan Patel14-0-56-2
  • Mitchell Santner17-1-71-0

vigkri: "@Praneet: Not so much. On flat tracks, where you know that the ball won't swing, the best bet to get wickets is through genuine pace (Something which Umesh has). "

45.6
4
Patel to Rahane, FOUR, quick feet! Came hurtling down even at a quick delivery from Patel, took it on the full and bashed it over the top to long-on. Lead has crossed 450
45.5
1
Patel to Pujara, 1 run, nudged away through square leg

Match Coverage

All Match News

Clean sweep

4

No. of times India have whitewashed a Test series of 3 or more matches, including this. The last 3: vs Eng 1992-93, vs SL 1993-94 and vs Aus 2012-13.

Only the second

2

No. of India bowlers to take multiple ten-wicket hauls in any Test series, including Ashwin. First was Harbhajan vs Aus in 2000-01.

Ashwin again

4

No. of times Williamson has got out to Ashwin this series, in 4 innings. He faced 163 balls against other bowlers without getting dismissed; 91 balls v Ashwin.

Huge target

5

No. of higher targets set by India in Tests, than the 475 in this match. The highest they set was 617 also against NZ in Wellington in 2008-09.

Pujara in elite company

3

India No. 3 batsmen to score 4 50+ scores in a series of 3 or fewer Tests, including Pujara this series. Others: M Amarnath in Pak 1982-83 & Dravid in NZ 2008-09.

In-form Gambhir

5

Scores of 50 or more for Gambhir in first-class matches this season, in 7 innings. He had made 77, 90, 59, 94 and 36 in Duleep Trophy before this Test.

Race to twenty

2

No. of bowlers who reached 20 five-wicket hauls in fewer Tests than Ashwin's 39 - S Barnes in 25 Tests and C Grimmett in 37 Tests.

Prolific

5

No. of five-wicket hauls for Ashwin in Tests against NZ - most by any India bowler. Bedi, Gupte, Prasanna and Zaheer had taken four 5-fors vs NZ.

Neesham vs Ind

170

Runs scored by Neesham in his only previous Test against India - on his debut (33 & 137*, Wellington, 2013-14). He has got to a fifty in this Test.

Session of wickets

5

No. of wickets lost by New Zealand in the second session today. They had lost only one wicket in the first session.

First in a while

2013

Previous instance of an overseas opening pair adding a century stand in Tests in India - between Cowan and Warner in Mohali. This is the 1st such stand in 18 inns.

Opening high

55

The highest opening stand of the series before this - between Guptill and Latham in the 2nd inns of the Kolkata Test. The current stand is now the best.

Big total

2

No. of higher totals for India against NZ in Tests, than the 557/5 in this match. They had scored 583/7 in Ahmedabad in 1999-00 and 566/8 in Nagpur in 2010-11.