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Overnight batsmen Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant counter-attacked with half-centuries as India closed in on New Zealand`s first-innings 235 on day two of the third Test on Saturday.
India were 195-5, trailing by 40 runs, when lunch was called a few minutes early because of an issue with an overhead television camera at Mumbai`s Wankhede Stadium. Gill, on 70, and Ravindra Jadeja, on 10, were batting at the break on the spin-friendly pitch. Pant smashed 60 off 59 balls with eight fours and two sixes in a 96-run stand with Gill before being trapped lbw by leg-spinner Ish Sodhi.
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Resuming on 86-4, the batsmen came out aggressively as India look to avoid an embarrassing 3-0 series whitewash on home soil. The left-handed Pant smashed Mumbai-born New Zealand spinner Ajaz Patel for three boundaries in the opening over.
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Gill hit a four off Ajaz but survived a reprieve on 45 by substitute fielder Mark Chapman, who failed to hang on to a high catch off Glenn Phillips` bowling while running in from long-on. Gill reached his fifty with a single and Pant kept up the attack with regular boundaries to raise his half-ton in 36 balls.
Matt Henry dropped Pant on 53 but the spill — again off Phillips — did not ultimately prove costly. India had begun their reply strongly on day one but slipped from 78-1 to 84-4 in a final 10 minutes of mayhem that ended with Virat Kohli run out for four while attempting a cheeky single. The Black Caps sealed their first-ever Test series win in India with victory in the second Test at Pune.
(With inputs from agencies)
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