India suffered a late batting collapse on day one of the third Test against New Zealand, opening them up to the prospect of a historic series whitewash at home.
At the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Friday (November 1), New Zealand captain Tom Latham won the toss and chose to bat first. Opener Devon Conway was dismissed early, and Latham departed in the 16th over.
After Rachin Ravindra's dismissal left New Zealand at 72-3, Will Young (71) and Daryl Mitchell (82) put on 87 runs for the fourth wicket to rescue the innings. Mitchell was eventually the ninth wicket to fall, and he helped drag the visitors to 235.
Read more: Explained: Why Jasprit Bumrah and Mitchell Santner are not playing the Mumbai Test
In reply, India lost Rohit Sharma for a run-a-ball 18, before Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill got together. As they approached the last few overs of the day, they had put India firmly in the driving seat with the score reading 78-1.
But Jaiswal was dismissed, his stumps knocked back after he missed a reverse sweep off Ajaz Patel. The very next ball, nightwatchman Mohammed Siraj was trapped in front – and he took a review with him as he walked back. One over later, Virat Kohli ran himself out going for a suicidal quick single, meaning India finished the day on 86-4, still trailing by 149 runs.
India face prospect of historic home whitewash
Having lost the first two matches of the three-match series, India have already suffered their first home Test series loss in 12 years. With the precarious position they are in now, they face the prospect of being whitewashed at home – something that has never happened to them before in a series of three or more matches.
India were last whitewashed at home in 2000, when South Africa beat them 2-0 – by four wickets in Mumbai and then by an innings and 71 runs in Bengaluru. Curiously, the ongoing series also has matches in Bengaluru and Mumbai.
Also read: Nightwatchman Mohammed Siraj burns review after plumb first-ball lbw
They also lost a one-off Golden Jubilee Test against England in February 1980, but the result against South Africa remains the only home whitewash India have ever suffered in a bilateral Test series. They have gone winless in 14 completed home series so far, but the last of those occasions came in 2003, against New Zealand where a two-match series was drawn 0-0.
They have lost three matches in a home series on five occasions, the last of those coming in 1983 when they took on West Indies in a six-match series. The other three games in that series were drawn.
Follow Wisden for all cricket updates, including live scores, match stats, quizzes and more. Stay up to date with the latest cricket news, player updates, team standings, match highlights, video analysis and live match odds.
