Shubman Gill Falls Short of Century as India Sets 263, New Zealand Trails

In the ongoing third Test match in Mumbai, Shubman Gill narrowly missed out on a century, scoring 90 runs, while Rishabh Pant contributed a brisk 60, helping India post a total of 263 in response to New Zealand's first-innings score of 235. At tea on Day 2, New Zealand found themselves at 26 for one, trailing India by just two runs.

Gill started strong after India resumed play at 86 for four. He seemed poised for a century, displaying a solid batting performance. However, his innings came to an end when he edged a delivery from spinner Ajaz Patel to Daryl Mitchell at slip. Gill's dismissal was a significant moment, as he was one of the key players leading India’s charge towards surpassing New Zealand's total.

Patel continued to make an impact, taking the wicket of Ravichandran Ashwin for just six runs, finishing the innings with impressive figures of 5 for 103. Despite the quick wickets, Washington Sundar remained unbeaten at 38, providing some stability at the tail end of the innings. In a notable moment for New Zealand, Akash Deep put them under pressure by dismissing skipper Tom Latham for only one run early in the Indian innings.

India's batting innings started on a shaky note after a late collapse on Day 1, but Rishabh Pant’s aggressive play helped alleviate early tensions. He quickly found his rhythm, hitting Patel for three boundaries in one over, and soon reached his half-century in just 36 balls, marking the fastest fifty by an Indian against New Zealand in Test matches. Unfortunately for New Zealand, they missed critical opportunities to apply pressure, including a dropped catch by substitute Mark Chapman when Gill was on 45.

Pant's explosive innings came to an end when he was trapped lbw by Ish Sodhi after a solid fifth-wicket partnership of 96 runs. Ravindra Jadeja added just 14 runs before being caught at slip off Phillips, and Sarfaraz Khan had a disappointing outing, falling for a duck after facing only four balls from Patel.

As the match progresses, New Zealand is looking to build on their successful start in the series, having won the first Test in Bengaluru by eight wickets, marking their first Test victory in India in 36 years. They followed it up with another win in Pune by 113 runs, thus aiming to secure the series with a strong performance in Mumbai. As the tea break concluded, the match was finely poised with both teams looking to seize the momentum.