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IND vs NZ 1st Test Day 3 Highlights: Kohli-Sarfaraz's Fightback Keeps India Afloat After Rachin’s Carnage

India bounced back on Day 3 of Bengaluru Test (source@BCCI)India bounced back on Day 3 of Bengaluru Test (source@BCCI)

Day 3 of the first Test between India and New Zealand kicked off on a positive note for home fans as India chipped quick wickets before Rachin and Southee’s resistance dropped their shoulders. Somehow, the hosts managed to bowl out the Kiwis for 402 runs. In reply, India had a strong start but lost openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rohit Sharma to unfortunate dismissals. Regardless, Sarfaraz Khan and Virat Kohli’s individual fifties revived the innings as India finish 231/3 at end of Day 3's play.

Here’s the timeline of how IND vs NZ Day 3 panned out in Bengaluru:

IND vs NZ Highlights: Siraj, Jadeja’s quick strikes help India get Four wickets In 1st Session

After a tough day at the office on Day 2, India bounced back in the morning session of Day 3. Mohammed Siraj removed Darly Mitchell with a length delivery that carried the outside edge to Jaiswal at slips. Jasprit Bumrah followed it up by inducing another edge off Tom Blundell that carried to KL Rahul in the slip cordon. As the sun peaked, Rohit Sharma brought Ravindra Jadeja into the attack, who castled Glenn Phillips before dismissing Matt Henry in a similar fashion in the next over of his dream spell.

IND vs NZ Highlights: Rachin Ravindra-Tim Southee force Indian bowlers to toil hard

New Zealand weren’t giving up their advantage easily as Rachin Ravindra and Tim Southee stitched up a 137-run partnership for the 8th wicket. Rachin scored a blazing ton with Southee also picking up his shots nicely. They stole 48 runs off 3 overs before lunch to pile up a 300-run lead. After lunch, India got the breakthrough with Southee’s wicket before Rachin holed out while trying to attack. Still, the damage for India was significant as New Zealand was bowled out for 402 runs with a 356-run mega lead at the helm.

IND vs NZ Highlights: Rohit Sharma-Yashasvi Jaiswal survive the new ball challenge

The weather condition at Bengaluru on Day 3 was not even remotely similar to that of Day 2. The pitch also played better, with Indian openers Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal making the most of it with a 50-run partnership. Jaiswal hit 8 boundaries but gifted his wicket away while trying to unnecessarily attack by dancing down the track. 

Rohit still looked pretty strong and reached his half-century with a boundary. However, luck didn’t favour the brave. In a bizarre dismissal, Rohit played a textbook forward defence shot but before he could realise, the ball ran off and bumped to the stumps to dislodge the bails as Rohit stood in disbelief.

IND vs NZ Highlights: Sarfaraz, Kohli’s intent saves India from catastrophic fall

Rohit Sharma’s bonus wicket inspired New Zealand to press hard on India. However, Sarfaraz Khan joined Virat Kohli to launch an aggressive counterattack. Both players created chances to score and executed the same fearlessly without any pressure. A 14-run over from Ajaz Patel further boosted their confidence. Eventually, Sarfaraz and Kohli shifted gears to slam a fifty each. However, moments before stumps, Kohli got a faint edge off Phillips caught by keeper Blundell, ending his 70 (102) resistance as India dipped to 231/3 at stumps, leaving a 125-run trail.