Ajaz Patel's Fifer Shakes Up the Game in Mumbai Test

On the second day of the final Test match in Mumbai, New Zealand's Ajaz Patel delivered a match-altering performance with his sixth five-wicket haul in Test cricket, taking 5 for 103 and disrupting India's momentum towards a significant first innings lead.

India's Struggles Against Spin

Despite Shubman Gill's commendable innings of 90 runs, India found themselves losing wickets at crucial intervals. As the innings progressed, Washington Sundar's late surge of 38 not out helped push India into a slender first innings lead of 28 runs, but it was far from the dominant position they might have hoped for.

Starting the session at 195 for 5, India's batters faced an unrelenting New Zealand attack that offered few scoring opportunities. Ravindra Jadeja, looking to defend, fell victim to a sharply turning delivery from Glenn Phillips, leading to a catch at first slip by Daryl Mitchell. This was quickly followed by Sarfaraz Khan's dismissal, who went for a duck as Ajaz produced a stunning delivery that turned sharply and bounced high.

Gill's Lone Battle

With wickets tumbling around him, Gill was left to shoulder the responsibility of rebuilding the innings. He played fluently, finding the boundary when needed, but ultimately succumbed to Ajaz's skillful bowling, edging a delivery that left him to be caught again by Mitchell at slip.

India managed to take a lead thanks to Sundar's timely contributions, but Ravichandran Ashwin's dismissal mirrored the patterns seen earlier, as he too was caught after being lured into a false sense of security by Ajaz. The innings concluded with a run-out involving Akash Deep, leaving India with a total of 263 runs.

New Zealand's Response

New Zealand, trailing by just 2 runs at the start of their innings, quickly began to chip away at India's lead. Akash Deep made an immediate impact, dismissing skipper Tom Latham early with a delivery that nipped back sharply. However, Devon Conway and Will Young steadied the ship, navigating their way towards erasing the deficit as they reached 26 for 1 at the close of play.

With the match finely poised and a potential ten sessions remaining, both teams have much to play for. New Zealand's bowlers will look to capitalize on their momentum, while India will be eager to secure quick wickets and maintain control of the Test.

Current Standings

Brief Scores:

• New Zealand: 235 and 26/1 (Akash Deep 1-9)
• India: 263 (Shubman Gill 90, Rishabh Pant 60; Ajaz Patel 5-103)

As the Test progresses, the battle between bat and ball will intensify, with the outcome hanging in the balance.