At lunch on day two, India found themselves in a precarious position at 107 for 7, trailing New Zealand’s total of 259 by 152 runs. Mitchell Santner and Glenn Phillips put New Zealand in a commanding position, taking six wickets between them and tightening their grip on the match. With India’s home streak of 12 years on the line, they faced an uphill battle to protect their proud record.
From the outset, the challenging pitch posed a threat to the Indian batting lineup. Santner demonstrated its unpredictability, with deliveries behaving inconsistently. In the first over, he produced a mix of turns, keeping Indian batters on edge. By the end of the session, his figures read 14-1-34-4, as he dismissed key players, including Shubman Gill in the 11th over and Virat Kohli shortly after for just one run.
Despite Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal’s aggressive intent, New Zealand maintained attacking fields, disrupting India’s usual counterattacking style. Gill hit a six off Tim Southee but quickly fell to Santner, who successfully appealed for lbw after a DRS review. The crowd’s brief excitement at Kohli’s arrival turned to disappointment as he missed a full toss.
As the session progressed, India struggled against the turning ball. Rishabh Pant was bowled after attempting to pull a low delivery, while Sarfaraz Khan’s aggressive attempts to score ended in dismissal. A shooter from Santner accounted for R Ashwin, leaving India relying on Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar to mount a rescue effort. As a result, the pressure mounted, and India’s batting woes intensified because they faced the prospect of a tough chase in the fourth innings.
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