Former skipper Virat Kohli and Sarfaraz Khan led India’s fightback against New Zealand with combative half-centuries after skipper Rohit Sharma set the platform with his 52-run knock as the hosts managed to cut down the deficit to 125 runs before ending day three of the opening Test at 231 for three here on Friday.

The day witnessed 453 runs being scored, making it the second-highest number of runs scored in a day’s play in Test cricket in India. Along with that, 10 wickets also fell on Friday.

A day after being bowled out for 46 and falling behind by 136 runs, which on Friday swelled to a total deficit of 356, thanks to Rachin Ravindra’s second Test century, India came up with an aggressive approach to score at well over five an over until the last few overs before the Kiwis struck back late through Glenn Phillips, who snuck in an outside edge from Kohli to the last ball of the day.

Kohli, who looked in ominous touch during the course of his 31st half century, perished for 70 with his partner Sarfaraz heading back undefeated on an identical score.

India made the necessary amends to their approach in their second innings, as Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rohit gave them a 72-run start off mere 17 overs before Jaiswal was stumped after scoring 35. Despite the loss of his opening partner, the skipper hardly allowed the scoring rate to dip, and scored 16 off the next eight balls he played to bring up his 18th Test fifty off just 59 deliveries.

Soon after getting to the landmark, Rohit fell to a freakish dismissal after playing on off a dead defensive, following which Kohli and Sarfaraz joined forces. With both batters eager to escape a golden pair after falling for ducks in the first innings, Kohli consumed as many as 13 deliveries before finally opening his account while Sarfaraz raced away to 23 off 16 in no time.

With the M Chinnaswamy pitch gradually turning flatter on the third evening, both Kohli and Sarfaraz found it easier to milk the New Zealand bowlers, and did not even hesitate to take the aerial route off the slower bowlers.

Sarfaraz, who came into the playing XI as a replacement for Shubman Gill, used the opportunity for a longer stint, to perfection by racing to his half century off mere 43 deliveries, before Kohli got to his off 70 balls. Kohli also survived a chance when Ajaz Patel dropped him on 53 off Glenn Phillips before the bowler had the last laugh on the final ball of the day to bring an end to the enterprising 136-run third wicket partnership between the duo.

Pant stays off-field after being hit on knee on Day 2

Rishabh Pant did not take the field on the third day of the ongoing Test after getting hit on the right knee while keeping on the second day (effectively the first day after no play was possible on Wednesday). Dhruv Jurel kept wickets for the remainder of New Zealand’s first innings, but Pant was seen facing a brief throwdown session during the tea break on the third day.

Skipper Rohit Sharma had said on the second evening that Pant had some swelling in the injured area and the team didn’t want to take any risks given Pant had recovered from serious injuries following the deadly car crash in December 2022.

“Unfortunately, the ball hit straight on his knee cap, the same leg on which he has had surgery done. So he has got a bit of swelling on it. And you know the muscles are quite tender at this point in time, so it’s a precautionary measure. We don’t want to take a risk. Rishabh doesn’t want to take a risk because he has gone through a massive surgery on that particular leg. That was the reason for him to go inside,” Rohit said after the day’s play on Thursday.

On Friday morning, a BCCI statement said, “Rishabh Pant will not keep wickets on Day 3. The BCCI medical team is monitoring his progress.”

Earlier, resuming the day at 180 for 3, the BlackCaps lost a flurry of wickets in the first session, before Rachin Ravindra, back in the city where his father was born, came up with a sensational century to frustrate the home side. He and Tim Southee (65) added 137 runs in a little over 20 overs, the second-quickest stand of 100 or more against India, that eventually propelled the visitors to a mammoth 402. Ravindra ended up scoring 134 off 157 balls, laced with 13 hits to the fence and four over it before becoming Kuldeep Yadav’s third victim.

Besides Kuldeep, Ravindra Jadeja also picked three wickets while Mohammed Siraj came up with a couple of scalps. Jasprit Bumrah and Ravichandran Ashwin took one wicket apiece.

Brief Scores: India 46 and 231/3 (Sarfaraz Khan 70 not out, Virat Kohli 70, Rohit Sharma 52; Ajaz Patel 2-70) trail New Zealand 402 (Rachin Ravindra 134, Devon Conway 91; Ravindra Jadeja 3-72) by 125 runs.