IND vs NZ: For the first time in this series, New Zealand fell short of the 250-run mark, bowled out for 235 runs in the third Test in Mumbai. Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar were the standout bowlers, with the spin duo claiming nine wickets between them. Jadeja took five, Sundar four, while one wicket went to fast bowler Akash Deep. Though the pitch favors spin and New Zealand has three quality spinners in their ranks, the absence of Mitchell Santner cannot be overstated.
India spins out New Zealand
Day one began with New Zealand captain Tom Latham winning the toss and choosing to bat first—a wise decision, considering how challenging batting in the fourth innings could be on this pitch. However, what was expected to happen on day three began unfolding right from day one: the pitch started offering considerable support to the spinners from the outset. Although fast bowler Akash Deep provided India’s first breakthrough by dismissing Devon Conway, the remaining nine wickets went to spin.
The wickets fell in a sort of pattern. After Conway’s dismissal, Washington Sundar picked up the next two wickets, removing Tom Latham (28 off 44) and Rachin Ravindra (5 off 12). The next five wickets fell to Ravindra Jadeja, who broke a threatening 87-run partnership between Will Young (71 off 138) and Daryl Mitchell (82 off 129) by taking Young’s wicket. At 159/3, New Zealand seemed poised to cross the 300-run mark, but after Young’s dismissal, the Kiwis kept losing wickets and were eventually bowled out for 235.
Following Jadeja’s five-wicket spree, Sundar claimed the last two wickets, including that of Daryl Mitchell.
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Vital Test in the Big Scheme of Things
Though India have already lost the series, the stakes remain high for Rohit Sharma’s team in this third Test. The series loss has intensified competition at the top of the ICC World Test Championship standings. India are still leading, but they could easily slip down the table if their points percentage takes another hit. Much depends on how many of the remaining six matches, including the Mumbai Test, India can win.
If India wins the third Test against New Zealand and secures at least 2-3 victories in Australia, they are likely to qualify for the ICC World Test Championship final.
India’s main threat comes from South Africa and Sri Lanka. The Proteas entered contention with a 2-0 series win against Bangladesh. Currently, South Africa’s points percentage is 54.17, and they have upcoming home series against Sri Lanka and Pakistan. Given their strong home record, South Africa could feasibly win every Test at home, which might boost their points percentage above 60.
In that scenario, India and Australia—the current top two teams in the ICC World Test Championship standings—could find themselves under pressure. Winning games is their only way to keep the threat at bay.
