[Watch] Ravindra Jadeja dismisses Tom Blundell for a duck with an absolute ripper in 3rd IND vs NZ 2024 TestÂ
Team India left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja woke up from his dormant state to get the ball to turn square and have a serious say in the proceedings. New Zealand wicketkeeper Tom Blundell was on the receiving end of a brilliant delivery to be castled for a duck in the third Test at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Friday, November 1.
The hosts had to be patient in the second session as Will Young and Daryl Mitchell continued to be defiant against India's relentless spin barrage, with the heat being another unwanted added challenge. India finally broke through after Jadeja had Will Young caught at slips for 71.
Team India had to make further inroads to get to New Zealand's lower order and trigger a collapse as soon as possible, and Jadeja answered the call by striking again in the same over. In the penultimate ball of the 45th over, Jadeja got the ball to turn from the leg-stump line to the top of the off-stump.
Blundell was left clueless as he tried to defend the delivery off the back foot. The spinning ball was miles away from his bat as it went on to rattle the stumps.
Have a look at the dismissal right here:
From 159-3, New Zealand quickly slipped down to 159-5, courtesy of Jadeja's double strike.
This marks the third time that Blundell has been dismissed in single-digit figures on the tour. The wicket-keeper batter recorded scores of 5 and 8 in the first and the second Tests. He chipped in with a decent 41 in the second innings of the second Test in Pune as well.
Ravindra Jadeja has bowled non-stop since Lunch on Day 1
The left-arm spinner had concluded proceedings in the first session, and resumed his spell after the break. Since then, he has kept bowling from the same end, constantly keeping the batters in check.
This is arguably the most menacing Jadeja has been in this series so far after relatively subdued outings in Bengaluru and Pune, which yielded six wickets in total.