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India's talismanic batter Virat Kohli and Sarfaraz Khan came up with their respective fifties in the second innings of the first Test vs New Zealand. On the third day of the ongoing cricketing thriller between India and New Zealand, home bowlers restricted the Black Caps to 402 in 91.3 overs. Devon Conway's 91 off 105 balls and Rachin Ravindra's 134 off 157 balls played crucial roles in gaining momentum for the team. The guest posted a 356-run lead by adding 402 runs in their first innings.
After the first debacle innings, Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal got India off to a decent start. The former scored his half-century before giving away the wicket. India scored 57/0 at tea but was still trailing by 299 runs. However, fans are rejoicing to see a strong partnership building between Virat Kohli and Sarfaraz Khan, as both scored their half-century and a 100-run partnership.
For Kohli's fans, it was a double treat as he reached the milestone of 9000 runs in the Test. Spectators at the Chinnaswamy Stadium witnessed a milestone shaping up with Virat Kohli scoring 50-plus runs. This strong back, after getting dismissed for a duck in the last inning, was complimented by Sarfaraz's brilliant inning. With 3 sixes and 6 boundaries, he seems to be in assault mode.
Virat Kohli and Sarfaraz Khan Build Strong Foundation for India
On day 3, India began their second innings with patience and determination. Before Ajaz Patel dismissed both openers, Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal put up 72 runs for the first wicket. However, both Sarfaraz Khan and Virat Kohli were the ones who provided steadiness. While Sarfaraz's aggressive 70* from just 78 balls demonstrated his capacity to counterpunch under duress, Kohli's methodical 70 from 102 balls laid the groundwork for India's comeback.
Both batters were dismissed for zero in the first innings, and the team bowled out for 46 runs. Additionally, the Indian team became the first team to hit 100 sixes in Test matches in a single calendar year, setting a new record. Fans' hopes were rekindled by their partnership of 136 for the third wicket, which moved the side from 95/2 to 231/3 at the stumps. Sarfaraz remained undefeated and held the key to India's survival, even though Kohli was dismissed for 70 by Glenn Phillips on the final ball of the day.
Fans' reactions to strong partnership building between Kohli and Sarfaraz
Fans reacted to Virat Kohli and Sarfaraz Khan's partnership on Day 3 of first Test against New Zealand.
As of writing, India is trailing for 125 runs, with Sarfaraz scoring 70*, while Kohli was caught by Tom Blundell scoring 70 runs.
India aim to erase deficit runs on Day 4
Since day 3 has ended, with the team scoring 231/3, the challenge for day 4 would be erasing the deficit runs. The middle-order team needs to keep hope alive by playing patiently and staying on the crease for long. All eyes will be on Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul.
On the Black Caps side, Ajaz Patel, who picked up 2 important wickets today, will look forward to breaking Team India's momentum. It would be interesting to see how both sides fight on day 4 to settle scores.
