IND vs NZ 3rd Test: Rishabh Pant & Shubman Gill Lead India’s Fightback, Propel Rohit Sharma & Co. To 195-5 At Lunch On Day 2

Rishabh Pant and Shubman Gill came together to pull off a rescue act for India on Day 2 after a poor finish to Day 1 in the IND vs NZ 3rd Test at Mumbai.

IND vs NZ 3rd Test: Rishabh Pant and Shubman Gill both scored a fifty each as they bailed India out of the troubled waters on Day 2 of the ongoing India vs New Zealand 3rd and final Test of the series at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. India ended Day 1 poorly despite being in the driver’s seat for the most of the day. In the last moments of Day 1, India lost Yashasvi Jaiswal, Mohammed Siraj and Virat Kohli in quick succession, ending the day on 86-4.

Resuming from the overnight score of 86-4, Pant and Gill both joined hands to form a 96-run partnership to get India closer to wiping off New Zealand’s lead from the first innings of the IND vs NZ Test as they got India to 180-4 before Pant eventually got out to New Zealand’s Ish Sodhi after scoring 60 runs off 59 balls.

Notably, both Pant and Gill were dropped by New Zealand’s Mark Chapman and Matt Henry, respectively, both to the bowling of Glenn Phillips.

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Gill danced down the pitch in the 26th over to smash him for a six but miscued the ball in the air towards the long-on. Stationed there was Chapman who ran towards the ball but could not hold on to the catch.

Pant too aimed for a big hit in the 34th over and was dropped by Henry at long-off where he let the ball pop out of his hands.

However, not long afterwards, Ish Sodhi dismissed Rishabh Pant for 60 runs, trapping him LBW as he beat the batter with sharp spin that caught Pant deep in the crease. Pant took a review but the original decision was upheld as ball-tracking indicated the ball would have clipped leg stump. 

Pant’s dismissal put the game in balance as India stood at 195-5 after 43 overs at Lunch on Day 2, trailing New Zealand by 40 runs.

For the unversed, India have lost the IND vs NZ series as they lost the first two Tests to New Zealand, as the series scoreline reads 2-0. This marked the first time India lost a home Test series since 2012. By winning the Mumbai Test, Rohit Sharma & co. are looking to avoid a 3-0 clean-sweep at home, as India have not endured a home Test series clean-sweep since 2000.