After picking up just one wicket in a tough first session of play on day three of the third Test, India got four in the two hours after the lunch break. Ravichandran Ashwin has had a hand in all of India's five wickets so far – on one occasion, quite literally. As New Zealand took tea at 216/6, after being 148/5 at one point, it is hard to imagine that they were at 118/0 just some time ago. New Zealand still need 141 runs to avoid follow on with four wickets to spare. The way things are going for Ashwin and Co., it is unlikely India will have to bat again in this Test.
Ashwin had gone wicketless in his first nine overs, conceding as many as 36 runs after New Zealand openers Martin Guptill and Tom Latham took the attack to the Indian spinners. However, starting with Latham's wicket caught-and-bowled at the end of the first session, Ashwin took 4/10 in his next nine overs. The wily off-spinner was rewarded for his patience and resilience on a pitch that is still not doing much for the spinners and looking decent to bat on.
New Zealand blew away the great start provided by openers Martin Guptill and Tom Latham. While Ashwin's skill was responsible for most of the damage, luck had its part too. Even as wickets tumbled around him, Guptill was looking good after scoring his first half-century in seven innings. He was then run out on 72 in the unluckiest of fashions at the non-striker's end while backing up, after Ashwin got his fingers on Luke Ronchi's straight shot and the ball hit the stumps with Guptill short of his crease. However, Ashwin made most of his luck apart from that dismissal, before Ravindra Jadeja joined the party towards the end of the session by dismissing BJ Watling.
