Twitter Reactions: Shreyas Iyer, Saha's fifties put India in command of Kanpur Test

India need nine wickets. New Zealand need 280 runs. This is the simple equation on the final day of the first Test at the Green Park in Kanpur. The Kiwis have a record chase of 284 runs on their hands on the final day. The highest chase by a visiting team ever in India in Tests has been 276 and it will take a heroic effort from one of the batters for New Zealand to pull off a heist on a turning pitch.

Moreover, they have lost their opener Will Young already and have nine wickets in hand. Ravi Ashwin‘s turning delivery stayed extremely low late in the day and caught him in front of the stumps. Though the ball was going down the leg, the batter was late in reviewing the decision and had to walk back. New Zealand ended the day at 4/1 after 4 overs and have a huge task on their hands even if they have to draw the Test match.

Southee displays amazing skills

Earlier in the morning, India were left stunned with the Kiwi pacer Tim Southee running riot with his exceptional bowling. The hosts resumed at 14/1 and soon lost Cheteshwar Pujara with Kyle Jamieson continuing to impress. Ajaz Patel then nipped out the Indian skipper Ajinkya Rahane and then began the mastery of Southee.

With the ball swinging on a foggy morning, Southee was at his best landing the ball in correct areas. He induced a mistake from Mayank Agarwal first who edged one to the slips and then Ravindra Jadeja was caught plumb in front of the stumps. At 51/5, with the lead of only 100 runs, things looked grim for the home team.

Iyer, Ashwin and Saha bail India out of trouble

Ravi Ashwin was sent to bat ahead of Wriddhiman Saha and he stitched a decent partnership with Shreyas Iyer. The centurion debutant from the first innings yet again showed nerves of steel. The duo blunted the New Zealand attack with Ashwin timing the ball very well early on that took the pressure off India quickly. Iyer, at the other end, made sure he held on and played defensively while also punished poor deliveries.

The 52-run partnership was broken soon after the lunch break with Ashwin chopping one onto his stumps off Jamieson. Saha then walked out to bat and India’s recovery in the match began. Iyer was batting extremely well by then as the duo didn’t allow the opposition bowlers to dominate. They added 64 runs for the seventh wicket as Iyer continued to impress on his debut with yet another half-century.

Run-scoring was very slow on the day but with every run, New Zealand’s chances of victory were diminishing. Just when Iyer looked good to notch up another ton, he was strangled down the leg-side courtesy Tim Southee. The visitors would’ve hoped clean India’s tail then but Saha was determined to make an impact for the team despite struggling with a stiff neck.

He found an able ally in Axar Patel who also made up for a first innings failure with the bat. Despite extending the lead beyond 250 runs, India surprisingly never tried to up the ante. Eventually, they declared on 234/7 with Saha, after scoring his first fifty in four years, remaining unbeaten on 61 off 126 deliveries. Axar also played his hand mustering 28 runs.

After fighting through all the four days of Test match, New Zealand still find themselves in a position to go for a win. But realistically, it looks impossible given the deteriorating pitch and the first session will be important for both sides on the final day. If India breaks through early, they will wrap up the game soon. New Zealand, on the other hand, would want to take one step at a time and if they lose early wickets, they might even go for a draw.

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