Under the blazing sun on Thursday, New Zealand skipper Tom Latham won the toss and opted to bat first, joining his opening partner Devon Conway at the crease.
The pair started cautiously, navigating some movement in the air but capitalizing on loose deliveries—of which Akash Deep bowled plenty—bringing up 30 runs by the end of seven overs.
In response, Rohit Sharma introduced Ravichandran Ashwin into the attack, and the move paid off immediately as Ashwin delivered sharp turn to trap Latham plumb in front.
Ashwin, in tandem with Washington Sundar, tightened the pressure on the visiting batsmen. The duo of off-spinners applied a stranglehold until Will Young gloved one behind off Ashwin to depart for 18.
Conway and Rachin Ravindra, however, steadied the ship and carried New Zealand to Lunch at 92/2.Conway started the second session confidently, striking three boundaries off Bumrah in a single over to bring up a well-earned half-century, as his partnership with Ravindra grew to 71 runs.
Rohit turned to Ashwin again, and 14 balls later, Ashwin provided the breakthrough by forcing Conway into a wide push, resulting in a superb catch by Pant behind the stumps. Undeterred, Rachin and Daryl Mitchell built another 60-run stand, with Rachin continuing his impressive form to notch a fourth Test fifty.
As Akash Deep struggled through another expensive spell, Rohit handed the ball to Sundar, which triggered a collapse. Sundar bowled a brilliant delivery to dismantle Rachin’s off-stump and followed it up by removing Tom Blundell with an arm-ball in his next over, sending the Kiwis into Tea at 201/5.
The post-tea session saw more damage as Mitchell fell to another turning delivery from Sundar, and Glenn Phillips’ 31-ball resistance ended when he holed out to deep mid-off. Sundar’s maiden Test five-wicket haul was sealed with Southee’s dismissal, and Ajaz Patel’s wicket brought his career tally to double his previous total in just three appearances.
A stunning delivery similar to the one that bowled Rachin ended Mitchell Santner’s counter-attacking 33, wrapping up the New Zealand innings at 259. Sundar’s final figures stood at 61 balls for 20 runs and seven wickets, marking a career-best first-class performance.
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New Zealand, however, fought back, as Southee squared up Rohit Sharma with a stunning delivery, sending him back for a nine-ball duck.
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Despite the early blow, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill showed resilience, safely negotiating the final 11 overs of the day. India finished at 16/1, trailing New Zealand by 243 runs.