India started Day 3 on a high, with Mohammed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah delivering tight spells with the old ball, keeping New Zealand’s overnight batters Rachin Ravindra and Daryl Mitchell under pressure.
The buildup eventually paid off as the Kiwis collapsed, losing four wickets for just 40 runs, slipping from 190/3 to 233/7 within the first hour. Siraj triggered the slide by dismissing Mitchell at gully, followed by Bumrah’s delivery that edged Tom Blundell to second slip.
Ravindra Jadeja then joined the attack, bowling Glenn Phillips through the gate and dismissing Matt Henry with another sharp ball.With just three tailenders and Ravindra left, India was in control, but Ravindra turned the tables, smashing consecutive boundaries off Kuldeep Yadav in the 70th over to reach his half-century.
Tim Southee contributed further, pushing the score past 250. The pair kept finding boundaries, with Ravindra reaching his second Test century in a 20-run over off R. Ashwin before lunch.
By the break, they had added 112 runs in just 97 balls, giving India much to ponder.After lunch, Southee brought up his seventh half-century, extending the partnership to 140 runs before Siraj finally broke through, deceiving Southee with a slower ball.
Ravindra accelerated further, adding a few more quick runs before Kuldeep took the final two wickets, folding New Zealand for 402 and leaving India with a 356-run deficit.In response, Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal started confidently, playing cautiously at first but opening up with some stylish boundaries to reach 57/0 by tea.
After the break, three more boundaries followed, but Jaiswal, trying to advance down the track, was stumped by Ajaz Patel. Rohit continued his charge, bringing up his fifty with a flurry of shots, but he too fell to Ajaz, leaving India at 95/2.
Virat Kohli took time to settle, but once in rhythm, he and Sarfaraz Khan launched a counterattack, putting on a 100-run partnership at nearly a run-a-ball. Both reached their half-centuries and looked set to close out the day strongly.
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However, Glenn Phillips delivered a crucial blow on the last ball, catching Kohli off a faint edge, ending a 136-run stand and leaving India 30 runs shy of Kohli’s century, with New Zealand still ahead.