Tea India 46 and 57 for 0 (Jaiswal 29*, Rohit 27*) trail New Zealand 402 (Ravindra 134, Conway 91, Southee 65, Jadeja 3-72) by 299 runs
Rachin Ravindra's second Test century, his second international hundred in the city of his roots, took New Zealand to an imposing lead of 356 with a little help from Tim Southee, who supported him with discipline before opening his shoulders to become the sixth-most-prolific six-hitter in Test cricket. With exactly half the time remaining in the Test, India's openers batted out the first hour of their challenge to knock 57 off their deficit.
When you get bowled out for 46 and start the day 134 behind with seven wickets still to take, you need everything to go your way. After a loosener first up, India kept fighting with some relentless bowling for a little over 90 minutes, but Ravindra and Southee blew them away with a partnership of 137, the second-quickest century partnership against India and the quickest against them at home.
Mohammed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah kept New Zealand honest with accurate bowling and slight nibble each way for the first 10 overs of the day. They got the outside edges of Daryl Mitchell and Tom Blundell for their troubles before Glenn Phillips and Matt Henry came out swinging and missing straight balls from Ravindra Jadeja to lose their middle stumps.
Phillips' approach in particular suggested panic, which left one expecting more adventure from Southee, but the natural six-hitter put his head down and managed to survive alongside Ravindra, who had the measure of the bowling. Having started the day on 22 and having taken a boundary first ball of the day, Ravindra batted with urgency but with respect for the bowling. He showed enough faith in Southee to let him face 16 of the first 19 balls of the partnership.
The first signs of any manufacturing of shots came 11 overs before the new ball became available when Ravindra charged Kuldeep Yadav and lofted him back over his head to get to his fifty. He then went over midwicket to take the lead past 200. In the same over, Southee got a half-volley, which he lofted for his first boundary.
Just like that, the flood gates had opened. From waiting for the new ball, India went to delaying the new ball because it only became available very close to lunch and they needed a breather to regroup. In the 12 overs leading up to the break, New Zealand scored 102 runs, Ravindra went from 48 off 86 to 104 off 125, and Southee hit three sixes to go past Virender Sehwag's tally of 91. R Ashwin was taken down ruthlessly as he provided overpitched balls, his 16 overs going for 94 and one wicket off a reverse-sweep.
Frustration continued for India even with the second new ball with Southee playing and missing before adding another six to his tally but falling short of his personal best of 77, which he had scored in his debut Test. Ravindra, who managed to get a contentious call for a catch at the wicket overturned, was the last man out for 134 but not before he had hit two more sixes to take New Zealand's lead past 350, well past any India have overturned to win a Test.
Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal were almost conscious not to over-react to the first-innings collapse. On a pitch that had settled down remarkably when compared to day two, they got off to a quick start especially with Henry going searching for swing as the ball didn't seam much. In no time they went past their first-innings score without the loss of a wicket, beginning and ending the second session at a deficit of 299 runs.
