MUMBAI: New Zealand spinner Ajaz Patel took six wickets as his side sealed a historic 3-0 Test sweep in India with a thrilling 25-run win in the third Test on Sunday.
Chasing 147 for victory, India were bowled out for 121 in 29.1 overs on day three, after Rishabh Pant hit a valiant 64 at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium.
Ajaz roared in delight as he bowled Washington Sundar to take the final wicket and the Black Caps celebrated a first Test series win on Indian soil in style.
It was the first time India had been swept in a Test series at home since South Africa’s 2-0 win in 1999-2000 and the first time they were beaten 3-0 at home.
“This will be a very low point in my career, having lost three games at home,” India skipper Rohit Sharma told reporters.
“I fully take responsibility for that. As a leader, I have not been at the best of my abilities right from the start of the series.
“With the bat as well, I have not been good enough.”
New Zealand did the unthinkable under new captain Tom Latham, and in the absence of senior batsman Kane Williamson, who was recovering from a groin injury back home.
The Black Caps turned around their fortunes from a 2-0 whitewash in Sri Lanka, and made India suffer their first Test series loss at home in 12 years.
“Very ecstatic,” said Latham. “Looking back at the start of the series, to now be in this position, the boys have done a fantastic job over the last three Test matches.”
Mumbai-born New Zealander Ajaz ended with a match-haul of 11 wickets at a venue where he created history by claiming all 10 wickets in a Test innings in 2021.
In a tricky chase on a turning pitch, New Zealand reduced India to 29-5, before the left-hander Pant made counter-attacked with his half-century.
Ajaz, after lunch, had Pant caught by wicketkeeper Tom Blundell, a decision denied by the on-field umpire but successfully reviewed by New Zealand. An unconvinced Pant trudged back.
“If we say something, it will not go down well. If the decision is not conclusive then the decision has to stand with what the on-field umpire calls,” said Rohit.
“I don’t know how that decision was overturned.”
Glenn Phillips then got two in two balls and Ajaz wrapped up the innings to be named player of the match.
India bowled out New Zealand quickly for 174 in the first session, with Ravindra Jadeja taking five wickets on a turning wicket for 10 in the match.
But the New Zealand bowlers led by Ajaz ripped into India’s top order.
Fast bowler Matt Henry dismissed Rohit Sharma in the third over, getting the captain to mis-hit to Phillips at midwicket for 11.
He extended his poor run with the bat in the series with scores of 2, 52, 0, 8 and 18 in his previous five innings.
Ajaz bowled Shubman Gill and then had Virat Kohli, on one, caught by Daryl Mitchell at slip to silence the home crowd.
Kohli has also struggled in the series, with just one half-century and four single-digit scores in the series.
Pant put on 42 runs for the sixth wicket to revive the chase, but Ajaz struck again to remove Jadeja for six.
Will Young’s 71 and 51 in the two New Zealand innings proved key and he was named player of the series for amassing 244 runs.
Ajaz stars as New Zealand beat India 3-0 in historic Test sweep
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Ajaz stars as New Zealand beat India 3-0 in historic Test sweep
- Spinner Ajaz Patel takes six wickets as New Zealand beat India by 25 runs
- It is the first time India has been swept in Test series at home since 1999-2000
Australia crush England by 8 wickets for 2-0 Ashes lead
- Australia are now overwhelming favorites to retain the Ashes with matches in Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney to follow
BRISBANE: Australia cruised to an emphatic eight-wicket win over England in the day-night second Ashes Test in Brisbane on Sunday for an ominous 2-0 lead in the series.
Set a paltry target of 65 for victory, Australia captain Steve Smith pulled Gus Atkinson for a huge six over square leg to get the job done in style.
Although not as humiliating as the two-day loss in the first Test at Perth, England were comprehensively outplayed in every department.
Australia are now overwhelming favorites to retain the Ashes with matches in Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney to follow.
“Great day. First two days were pretty even, game turned when we were able to extend to get the new ball under lights, that was crucial for us,” said Smith, who clashed verbally with England bowler Jofra Archer as the hosts raced to victory.
“It can be tricky with the pink ball, it changes really quickly and you have to adapt.”
For England it was more misery. Their batting, apart from Joe Root and Zak Crawley in the first innings and captain Ben Stokes and Will Jacks in the second, was just as rash as in Perth.
They gave their wickets away with poor strokes on the bouncy Gabba surface.
They also bowled poorly, pitching too short and wasting the new pink ball, in stark contrast to an Australian attack missing spearheads Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood.
To make matters worse England dropped five catches in the first innings, whereas Australia’s fielders caught everything that came their way.
Josh Inglis’s brilliant run-out of Stokes in the first innings changed the course of the match. “Obviously very disappointing,” said Stokes.
“I think a lot of it comes down to not being able to stand up to the pressure of this game, this format, when the game is on the line.”
England were behind the game once they let Australia’s tail help the home side post 511 on Saturday, an overall lead of 177.
They then lost six second-innings wickets under lights to end the third day 134-6, still 43 runs behind the Australian total.
While many expected England to surrender meekly on Sunday, Stokes and all-rounder Jacks led a fighting rearguard action to ensure Australia had to bat a second time.
Stokes and Jacks defied the Australian pace attack on a fiercely hot day to edge their way past the initial deficit target and begin to set Australia something to chase.
England batting coach Marcus Trescothick said Saturday his batsmen would not change their aggressive approach, despite a clatter of wickets from poor shots.
But Stokes and Jacks were patient during the first session Sunday. They left balls they didn’t need to play and seemed happy to take their runs in singles rather than expansive boundary shots.
They scored just 28 runs in the first hour and passed the 43-run deficit 96 minutes into the session, scoring only 59 runs in the two hours.
The Australian bowlers, who ran rampant under lights on Saturday with the pink ball, were far more ineffective on Sunday, despite the wicket beginning to play some tricks.
The English offered only one chance when Scott Boland squared up Stokes, who got a thick edge over the slips cordon.
They continued to frustrate the Australians in the second session until just before the drinks break Jacks got an edge to Michael Neser and Smith snared a breath-taking catch at slip, diving full length to his left and catching it low to the ground.
Neser struck again in the next over when Stokes nibbled at a ball outside the off-stump and got a fine edge to keeper Alex Carey to leave England 227-8, a lead of exactly 50.
