India’s 10 minutes of madness give NZ the upper hand

Mumbai: India’s bowling hero of the day Ravindra Jadeja’s summed up Day 1 of the third Test against New Zealand best. He had put the hosts in a good position by claiming yet another five-wicket haul, 5/65, on a track that gave him plenty of help. And it pretty much looked like he would savour the day until the last ten minutes of the day’s play rolled in.

Cruising at 78/1 in reply to New Zealand’s first innings total of 235, India were in command until opener Yashasvi Jaiswal went for a reverse sweep. He missed and was bowled. Mohammed Siraj was sent in as the night watchman and he was dismissed first ball but before he walked off he took a DRS review and finally, Virat was run out while attempted an ill-judged single. Ten minutes of madness; ten minutes that left India on the cusp of another collapse.

But what was it like in the dressing room while a disaster-tinted movie seemed to play out in the middle? According to Jadeja, they didn’t even have time to react.

“Reaction ka time hi nahi mila, 10-minute main sab kuch ho gaya,” said Jadeja.

A series of schoolboy errors from the hosts during the closing minutes of Day 1 left the 20,000-strong Wankhede crowd feeling deflated and the atmosphere in the Indian dressing room charged. A spell of three wickets in eight balls before stumps left the home side 149 runs adrift of New Zealand’s total on a pitch that’s taking considerable turn.

With India having to bat last, unless the batters raise their game, the hosts may be at the receiving end of a hitherto unthinkable a clean sweep on home turf.

There’s no doubt that the game is changing but no match, regardless of the format, is won without game awareness. The understanding of when not to play shots that come with a higher degree of risk is a lesson that Jaiswal will need to learn quickly. “I don’t play the shot. Ask those who do,” Jadeja said when asked about the reverse sweep.

But it is just not just about the young batter. India’s tactical decisions that followed were indicative of a playing group feeling the heat of sudden losses. Why send Mohammed Siraj, the designated No 11, as the night watchman when there are better batters in the lower order? On a turning wicket, it was a big risk and as luck would have it he got out first ball.

It didn’t end there. The body blow came with Virat Kohli’s (4) late wicket. Of all the ways of getting out, Kohli got himself run out. After a trademark flick off Rachin Ravindra to get himself off the mark, Kohli hit the ball straight to mid-on and ran for his life. It was to Matt Henry’s right side and his direct hit comfortably beat Kohli’s desperate dive.

If Kohli were to playback the scenario a hundred times over, he wouldn’t run. But he did. This wasn’t intent. This was pressure. On days like this, you can only think of how cruel sport can be.

When the day began, captain Rohit Sharma turned to off-spinners R Ashwin and Washington Sundar, to see if they could challenge Tom Latham with the round-the-wicket angle. Washington found immediate rewards. Latham (28) played inside the line to see his stumps disturbed. A little later, Rachin (5) fell to the young off-spinner too.

There were signs towards the end of India’s second bowling innings at Pune that Jadeja was regaining his usual control. And in Mumbai, it all came together as India’s most successful left-arm spinner ran through the NZ middle-order with his 14th 5-wicket haul.

What the 14 wickets that fell in the day won’t tell you is that midway through the day’s play, there were signs of the ball becoming softer and refusing to misbehave. The shoulders of the Indian fielders were starting to droop, with the punishing Mumbai sun leaving them constantly in need of fluid replenishments.

But out of nowhere Jadeja produced two deliveries that brought the stands back to life. Until then Will Young had been keeping the spinners at bay. Young would sweep occasionally, a risky option on the red ball surface with bounce, but he would also use his feet at will and go on the attack.

Jadeja ended Young’s 71-run knock with one that spun enough to take his outer edge. Two balls later, he produced a similar ball to go past Blundell’s outer edge abd hit the stumps. New Zealand was pushed back from 159/3 to 159/5.

Jadeja had cast enough doubt in the incoming batters’ mind with his quicker deliveries taking sharp turn. Just at that moment, he fired one in at a similar speed and got one to hold its line. Glenn Philips’ (17), playing for the turn, wad bowled.

It was only Daryll Mitchell commanding 82, played while defying heat and spasms, that helped New Zealand to a respectable total. Only Day 2 will tell us whether it will be enough to push India into a corner.