WTC final: [Watch] Cheteshwar Pujara drops Ross Taylor at first slip
India's hopes of salvaging a draw in the World Test Championship (WTC) final all but slipped away with every run and a dropped catch didn't help their cause. Jasprit Bumrah was brought back in and the quick immediately managed to induce a thick edge off Ross Taylor's bat only for Cheteshwar Pujara to spill it at first slip.
With that reprieve, New Zealand inch closer to the win. At the time of writing, the score read 89 for 2, with the Kiwis needing 50 more runs to win.
You can watch the drop here:
WTC final: The story so far
India were bundled out for 170 in the second innings of the WTC final, setting NZ a target of 139 to win. In reply, Kane Williamson's team were off to a decent start before Ravichandran Ashwin foxed Tom Latham and then returned to castle the in-form Devon Conway.
India's pace battery had an off day, with Jasprit Bumrah struggling for line and length. Ishant Sharma was yet to hit his straps and Mohammed Shami was doing his bit to keep the Kiwi batsmen quiet.
The reserve day of the WTC final was a nightmare for India as they lost skipper Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara in quick succession. Ajinkya Rahane was sent back a few overs later. Rishabh Pant, despite scratching and fiddling around for 41, failed to get the team to a substantial score.
The tail barely offered any resistance as India were bundled out for a paltry 170 on a pitch that had enough swing and bounce for the quicks to exploit. Kyle Jamieson picked up two wickets while Trent Boult finished with 3/39 and Tim Southee returned with figures of 4/48.
Here's a quick description of Pujara's drop courtesy of our SK commentary:
30.4 Jasprit Bumrah to Ross Taylor, DROPPED! Bumrah created the chance but it has been put down. Good length ball on off stump, Taylor gets an outside edge that goes into Pujara's hands and pops out.
Catch live updates during the WTC final by clicking here.
Also Read: Looking forward to Shikhar Dhawan's captaincy! - Yuvraj Singh, in an exclusive interview with SK