Rachin Ravindra’s resounding century, combined with Tim Southee’s half-century, propelled New Zealand’s first innings lead past 350 during the morning session on Day 3, putting India under pressure.
The hosts responded after Lunch, taking the three remaining wickets to wrap up the Kiwis’ innings and then chipping away at the deficit through a solid half-century partnership between Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rohit Sharma.
The pair, looking far more assured than in the first innings, confidently accumulated 72 runs before a lapse saw Yashasvi stumped. Rohit, however, continued his aggressive approach, bringing up his half-century with a flurry that included 14 runs off three balls from Southee.
With Virat Kohli by his side, India’s two most experienced batters seemed poised to steer the team back into contention—until disaster struck in the 22nd over.
Ajaz Patel bowled a stock delivery, which Rohit defended solidly in front of his stumps. To his disbelief, the ball spun back under his bat and rolled just enough to clip the stumps, dislodging the bails.
— deca coorn (@DCoorn74987) October 18, 2024
A stunned Rohit flashed a wry smile before burying his face in his hands, clearly gutted by the misfortune at a pivotal moment in the match.Twitter was equally shocked and heartbroken by the bizarre dismissal.