Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin bagged five wickets to throw the second and final Test against New Zealand wide open on the third day in Bangalore on Sunday.
Ashwin finished with 5-69, his fifth haul of five or more wickets in a Test innings, as New Zealand reached 9-232 in their second innings at stumps for an overall lead of 244.
New Zealand paceman Tim Southee earlier grabbed a maiden seven-wicket haul as the Indians were bowled out for 353 in their first innings in the morning in reply to the tourists’ 365.
The 23-year-old finished with 7-64, the best by a New Zealander in a Test innings in India.
The Kiwis were struggling at 5-140 before James Franklin (41) and Kruger van Wyk (31) added 55 crucial runs for the sixth wicket to boost hopes of setting a competitive fourth-innings target.
Ashwin struck vital blows when he had Franklin stumped and then trapped van Wyk lbw before accounting for Southee in the last session.
“I don’t think the wicket is doing so much that we have to be worried about the target. If we bat three-four sessions, we should be in a good position to win the match,” said Indian batsman Virat Kohli, who completed a century on Sunday.
“It’s always satisfying to get a Test hundred.”
Indian paceman Umesh Yadav did the early damage when he removed both the openers in successive overs, Martin Guptill (seven) bowled with a full-toss and Brendon McCullum (23) caught behind.
Skipper Ross Taylor, who scored an aggressive 113 in the first innings, contributed 35 this time as he was trapped leg-before while attempting to sweep left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha.
Ashwin, who took 12 wickets in his team’s win by an innings and 115 runs in the opening Test, also had Kane Williamson (13) and Daniel Flynn (31) caught by Virender Sehwag in the slips.
New Zealand earlier struck with the second new ball as India added 70 runs to their overnight total of 5-283.
Southee, playing his 19th Test, claimed four of the five wickets that fell in the morning, including those of middle-order batsman Virat Kohli (103) and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (62).
He conceded 28 runs in his lively eight-over spell.
“I think he (Southee) really bowled very well. It was a wonderful performance. Seven wickets in India is not just something that he would remember, that’s what we all would remember as well,” said New Zealand assistant coach Bob Carter.
“Now we have a handy lead and that has given us an opportunity in this game. We have three young bowlers who are raring to go. We are going to look to make the ball swing and get into a good enough position to press for a win.”
Ashwin helped his team cross the 350-mark with a 33-run stand for the last wicket with Yadav.
Kohli, playing only his 10th Test, cracked one six and 14 fours in his second hundred, and his first in India, while Dhoni hit two sixes and eight fours in his second successive Test half-century.
The pair added 122 for the sixth wicket.
