Washington double-strike puts the brakes on New Zealand

Lunch New Zealand 92 for 3 (Young 38*, Mitchell 11*, Washington 2-26) vs India

Washington Sundar took out two left-hand batters bowled on the off stump after New Zealand won another important toss on what looked like a pitch that will turn alarmingly. New Zealand had managed to run away with the first session in Pune, but here Washington and R Ashwin kept them in check after Akash Deep got rid of Devon Conway.

Missing Jasprit Bumrah because of a viral illness, India began with Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep. There wasn’t much seam movement on offer, but enough signs of uneven bounce. Akash Deep was accurate and testing with his angle from around the wicket, catching Conway back to a full ball and trapping him lbw with some seam movement.

However, scoring seemed easy for Tom Latham and Will Young as the two ended their spells.

The second spinner introduced, Washington produced two beauties to get rid of Latham and Rachin Ravindra. It was particularly vexing for Latham, who was hit on then pad by one that didn’t turn followed by another with identical seam-orientation and trajectory that turned past the outside edge and took top of off. Ravindra was still new to the crease when Washington turned one past his outside edge to bowl him for a third time in the series.

Now there was more turn and more natural variation visible. Young and Daryl Mitchell negotiated the last half-hour, but both their edges were threatened regularly during their partnership of 20 in seven overs.

Sidharth Monga is a senior writer at ESPNcricinfo