On Day 5 of the World Test Championship final, the Indian pacers stepped up. New Zealand collapsed to be bundled out for 249, their lead restricted to 32. India ended the day on 64/2, a lead of 32 runs with the reserve day left to play. The chances of a draw are high right now.??
But what saw the Kiwis self-destruct from 101/1 to 249 all out. 9 wickets fell quickly and 7 of them belonged to the pacers. Two men, in particular, Mohammed Shami and Ishant Sharma.
Shami led the way with 4/76 and was instrumental in breaking the back of the New Zealand batting. Swing and seam backed up by good pace saw him get the better of the middle order.?
Ishant recorded figures of 3/48. He got some crucial wickets at the start and finish and was the perfect foil to Shami. He relied more on bounce and length which paid dividends.?
These 2 men were the ones New Zealand found too hot to handle.
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