The first Test between India and New Zealand turned out to be an eventful draw as Rachin Ravindra and Ajaz Patel kept the hosts at an arm's length from the win. After the match, the Green Park pitch became the hot topic and an unsolved mystery as 14 out of 17 wickets New Zealand bowlers took were by pacers whereas Indian spinners took 17 out of 19 wickets. While New Zealand's ploy to play three spinners didn't work, Indian pacers, especially Ishant looked lacklustre.
Southee, Jamieson haunt Indian batters
In the first innings, Kiwi bowlers were lethal with the new and old ball. Jamieson took three wickets in the first innings including Shubman Gill, Mayank Agarwal and skipper Ajinkya Rahane whereas an injured Southee wreaked havoc with the second new ball in first session of Day 2. Southee went on to pick five wickets in the innings including Cheteshwar Pujara, centurion Shreyas Iyer, Ravindra Jadeja, Wriddhiman Saha and Axar Patel.
In the second innings as well these two bowlers were instrumental as they took three wickets each. With the new ball they put India under pressure reducing them to 51/5 in the first session on Day 4. In the Kiwi bowling lineup Ajaz was the only spinner that took three wickets whereas William Sommerville and Ravindra remained wicketless.
Indian spinners deliver
When New Zealand started out their first innings, much was expected from Umesh Yadav and Ishant considering how the visiting pacers performed. However, the two failed to take a wicket with the new ball. As a result, openers Tom Latham and Will Young shared a 151-run stand. In the end, it was Ravichandran Ashwin who provided the breakthrough. In the first innings, he took three wickets whereas Axar Patel registered his fifth fifer in his fourth Test. Also, Ravindra Jadeja got the solitary wicket.
In the second innings, Indian spinners were rampant as Ashwin got the first wicket in his second over. Axar got just one wicket whereas Ashwin and Jadeja did the heavy lifting. The only wicket in the innings by a pacer was taken by Yadav who removed nightwatchman William Somerville whereas Ishant remained wicketless again. While Ashwin took three wickets to surpass Harbhajan Singh to become India's third-highest wicket-taker and highest wicket-taker against New Zealand in Tests going past Bishan Singh Bedi, Jadeja took four wickets in his 28 overs. At the end, it was the services of Ishant India missed as the veteran pacer was out of the field for a long time due to injury.
