SPORTS India in charge of first Test against Kiwis
Spinners Jadeja and Ashwin run through the New Zealand batting order as the hosts take a crucial first innings lead on Day Three of the opening Test match.
Spinners Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin helped India gain control of the first Test against New Zealand before the home batsmen stretched the second innings lead to 215 on the third day in Kanpur on Saturday.
The hosts, who are playing their 500th Test match, were 159 for one at stumps with opener Murali Vijay on 64 and Cheteshwar Pujara on 50 going strong.
The batting duo put together an unbeaten 107-run stand for the second wicket to take the attack to the opposition bowlers.
But it was Jadeja and Aswhin, sharing nine wickets between them, who spun it around for India after bowling out New Zealand for 262 in their first innings and securing a vital 56-run lead.
The Indian batsmen seized the advantage with Vijay putting on a 52-run opening stand with Lokesh Rahul, who finally fell to New Zealand spinner Ish Sodhi for 38.
Vijay, who registered his 13th half-century, struck seven fours and a six to entertain the raucous home crowd at Kanpur's Green Park Stadium.
Pujara also took on the spinners with aplomb as he hit eight boundaries to record his eight Test fifty in his 36th match.
Earlier Ashwin got overnight batsmen Tom Latham and Kane Williamson in the morning ses- sion to hurt the Black Caps, who started the day on 152 for one in response to India's 318.
Off- spinner Ashwin struck in the fifth over of the day to get Latham trapped lbw for 58 and break the 124-run partnership for the second wicket.
The left-handed Latham, who added just two runs to his overnight score, was done in by a drifting ball bowled by Ashwin from around the wicket.
But it was the wicket of Williamson, who scored 75, that turned the tables for the hosts as Ashwin got the dangerman bowled off a beautiful delivery that spun a lot.
Luke Ronchi steadied the innings for a while with his composed 38 but Jadeja got the batsman lbw to break the 49- run fifth-wicket partnership before lunch.
The spin twins continued to wreak havoc after the first ses- sion as Jadeja, who was denied a hat-trick, wiped off the opposition tail after taking three wickets in the 95th over of the innings.
New Zealand lost five wickets for just seven runs as they nosedived from 255 for five to pack up in 95.5 overs.
Santner contributed with 32 while wicketkeeper batsman BJ Watling also scored 21 to put up some fight but the lower-order batsmen failed to handle the In- dian spinners.
Jadeja finished with yet another five-for, while Ashwin scalped four wickets as both the spinners together accounted for nine wickets to give the hosts a 56 run lead in the first innings.
It was a great performance from the Indian bowlers came back strongly on the third day, after a bad second day's play. Skipper Virat Kohli's decision of starting the day's proceedings with spinners paid off well for the hosts.
Resuming the day from 152 for one, Kiwi batters got off to a bad start as both the Indian spinners created problems for them with their turn and bounce.
The disciplined bowling of Ashwin got him a wicket at the start as he plumbed overnight batsman Tom Latham at 58 while Jadeja struck the new man Ross Taylor in the very next over via leg before.
Just when the Kiwi batters seemed good at the crease, Ashwin produced another beauty to rip off dangerous Kane Williamson's off stump. New Zealand were now reeling at 170/4 in just eight overs.
The Kiwi's middle-order -- Luke Ronchi, Mitchell Santner and B Watling-- somehow tried to hold their innings together but they only managed to score 38, 32 and 21 respectively.
After that there was no looking back for India as Jadeja ran through the visitor's lower-order, taking three wickets in an over to wrap up the innings. AENCIES