India rout New Zealand by 321 runs to complete 3-0 whitewash

Indore, Oct 11: India completed a 3-0 whitewash of New Zealand after thrashing the visitors by 321 runs on the fourth day of the third and final Test at the Holkar Cricket Stadium here on Tuesday.

Match scorecard; Ind-NZ series schedule; Day 3 Report

Chasing a mammoth 475, the Kiwis were bundled out for a paltry 153 runs in their second innings after getting trapped in R Ashwin's spin web.

Star off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin once again emerged as the wrecker-in-chief, taking seven wickets and an overall 13 scalps in the match.

Left-handed Ronchi lasted 18 balls before he was cleaned up by a sharply turning ball to give Ashwin his ninth wicket of the match.

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The triple strike by Ashwin after Yadav's early send-off of Latham left the visitors, who had lost the first two games of the series by huge run margins, staggering at 102 for 4.

While Ashwin was doing the damage from the pavilion end, from where he grabbed all six wickets in the first innings, Jadeja kept a tight rein at the other end before he packed off well-set opener Martin Guptill (29) and James Neesham, who lasted just four balls, in successive overs to push the Kiwis on the brink of defeat.

India beat New Zealand by 321 runs in Indore Test and win the @Paytm Test Series 3-0. #IndvNZ pic.twitter.com/LX3HzCTG3B

— BCCI (@BCCI) October 11, 2016

Guptill, who top scored for the Kiwis with 72 in the first essay, was caught in front by Jadeja with a ball that slid through straight to breach his defensive bat while Neesham, the other plus-70 scorer in the New Zealand first innings, flicked straight to India skipper Virat Kohli at short mid-wicket.

In a matter of just seven overs New Zealand had lost four wickets to be gasping at 112 for 6. Ashwin was taken off while New Zealand progressed to 136 when he returned to bamboozle and pack off Santner, Patel and Henry in the space of six balls to push the visitors to the edge at 138 for 9 before adding the scalp of Boult.

Stunning performance by @ashwinravi99: this Test, this series, the past couple of years - in fact since he came into international cricket

— Cricketwallah (@cricketwallah) October 11, 2016

Earlier in the day, Pujara continued his superb form with the bat to notch up his maiden hundred of the series as India declared their second innings closed with four and half sessions left to force yet another thumping victory.

India applied the closure soon after Pujara struck James Neesham for his ninth four to reach his 8th career century in 147 balls in his 38th game.

The other major contributor in the home team's second innings was opener Gautam Gambhir, who made 50 in 56 balls with 6 fours, after he resumed his interrupted innings of yesterday due to injury at the fall of opener Murali Vijay.

Gambhir, who made 29 on his comeback innings earlier in the match, thus compiled his career's 22nd half century in his 57th Test which was his first in four years following his 60 in the first innings of the Kolkata Test against England in 2012.

After a relatively slow first session, India pressed on the accelerator in the post-lunch period and lost Kohli, trapped in front while attempting a sweep shot off Patel, in the process after he and Pujara had put on 48 runs in 60 balls for the third wicket.

Pujara, who surpassed 350 runs in the series during his knock, and Rahane then stitched an unbroken stand of 58 runs in 54 balls before the declaration came. India added 89 runs in 15 overs after lunch before the hosts set the visitors the steep target.

The century was the first for Pujara after 9 Test matches, his previous one (145 not out) coming in the third and final Colombo Test against Sri Lanka last August that paved the way for India's 2-1 series victory.

His scores in this series read 62, 78, 87, 4 and 41 before today's innings in the series after having notched up a double hundred and a hundred in the Duleep Trophy in the run-up to the international home season.

The century here was Pujara's sixth at home and second against the same opposition after his 159 at Hyderabad, his first Test hundred, in 2012.

Captain Kohli, who made a career-best 211 in the first innings, was dismissed for 17 while the other first innings centurion, Rahane, remained unbeaten on 23 to add to the excellent 188 he made in the first innings. Jeetan Patel picked up 2 for 56 while Murali Vijay was run out for 19.

OneIndia News

(With inputs from agencies)