Team India dominated Day 3 of the second Test against New Zealand as the hosts now required five wickets for the series win here at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai on Sunday.New Zealand batters Daryl Mitchell and Henry Nicholls were the only positive for the visitors on Day 3 as Kiwis score read 140/5 at the end of Day 3 of the ongoing second Test against India. Resuming the third session at 13/1, Ravichandran Ashwin struck again as he scalped two wickets and sent back Will Young (20) and Ross Taylor (6) in the 15th and 17th over respectively.
Following two big dismissals, Mitchell (60) and Nicholls (36*) kept the scoreboard moving for the visitors but Indian bowlers had other plans in store and spinner Axar Patel showed Mitchell the way to the dugout. Later, Tom Blundell also departed without opening his account.
At the end of Day 3, the Kiwis score was 140/5 with Nicholls and Rachin Ravindra (2) standing unbeaten at the crease. The visitors still need to cross a huge mountain of 400 runs in order to win the game.
Earlier, India declared the innings at 276/7 setting New Zealand a target of 540 when Ajaz Patel dismissed Jayant Yadav out caught and bowled picking up his 4th wicket of the innings and 14th wicket of the match.
The left-arm spinner finished with figures of 14-225 the best bowling figure in Test matches against India and the 2nd best bowling figure by a New Zealander after Sir Richard Hadlee who took 15 wickets conceding 123 runs against Australia in Brisbane in 1985.Kiwis once again did not get a good start as Ravichandran Ashwin dismissed Tom Latham leg before wicket for just 6 with only 13 runs on the board.
Brief Scores: India 325 and 276/4 decl (Mayank Agarwal 62, Cheteshwar Pujara 47, Shubman Gill 47; Ajaz Patel 4-106); New Zealand 62 and 140/5 (Daryl Mitchell 60, Henry Nicholls 36*, Ravichandran Ashwin 3/27).