It was a top bowling performance by India, as it pushed New Zealand onto the backfoot on Day 3 of the opening Test at the Green Park Stadium in Kanpur on Saturday. Spinner Axar Patel claimed a five-wicket haul to rattle the Kiwis, as India secured a 63-run lead at stumps. In the meantime, we present the records scripted on Day 3.
Tom Latham-Will Young score a special
Latham and Young put on a 151-run opening stand. Consequently:
- It was only the second 150-plus opening partnership for the Kiwis in India after Mark Richardson and Lou Vincent (231) in 2003-04, besides being its sixth overall in away Tests.
- Young happened to be the sixth-highest scorer for NZ in his maiden innings against India.
- Latham became only the second Kiwi after John Wright to be stumped in his 90s.
- Latham also became the third batter in the Tests to be stumped by a substitute wicketkeeper (KS Bharat) after Tip Snooke (Neville Tufnell) and Pervez Sajjad (Bevan Congdon).
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Axar joins a unique list
- With the fifer, Axar became the joint most five-wicket haulier in his first four Tests (5), along with Tom Richardson and Rodney Hogg. Charlie Turner (6) tops the chart.
- Also, he has become the first Indian to claim four-plus wickets in six successive innings.
- He is the first Indian left-arm spinner to claim five Test fifers in a calendar year.
- He is the second most wicket-taker for India in the first four Tests after Narendra Hirwani (36).
Ravichandran Ashwin surpasses Wasim Akram
Ashwin claimed three wickets in this innings. As a result, he has claimed 416 career Test wickets and has surpassed legendary Pakistani pacer Wasim Akram (414). A couple more would allow him to beat fellow Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh (417), while he also looks set to pip legendary South African pacer Shaun Pollock (421).