New Zealand seal 2-0 after impressing with bat and ball

New Zealand pranced to a 2-0 series whitewash - no. 2 in the Test rankings - as their bowlers took 47 minutes to take the four remaining India wickets and then their openers made the 132-run target look easier than it had been in conditions that continued to be torturous for the batsmen. The depth in New Zealand's five-man seam attack outshone India's three-man party, that was missing Ishant Sharma and also had to manage an injured Mohammed Shami on the third day.

However, even a full-strength India attack would have probably made it only marginally more difficult after the exceptional and relentless bowling display by New Zealand meant they had to chase under 150. Only twice includes a team won a Test by 10 wickets despite falling behind in the first innings; New Zealand came pretty close. That they were not chasing any longer was down to the depth within their attack, which didn't give India a good mini spell where they could relax in the 3rd innings.

On the 3rd morning, though, New Zealand needed just both men to bowl India out for 124. Along the way Tim Southee also hit Shami on the shoulder with a bouncer, which delayed his introduction, and Umesh Yadav released any pressure there could have been with boundaries in each of his first three overs. Shami had a chance for three overs at first-change, but with the score at 46 for 0 at lunch, he had had enough.

That doesn't take away, though, from the torturous conditions for the batsmen. That is exactly why New Zealand could have wished to dismiss India for as little as they could on the third morning. They succeeded with the duty with the first three wickets. Hanuma Vihari was a tad unlucky that he tickled one down leg for BJ Watling to take. It is not unlucky on flat surfaces, but here while you are watching out for seam, swing, bounce and trying to cover your off stump, it appears just like a rather cruel way to get out.

There is nothing cruel with how Rishabh Pant got out, pushing repeatedly and defensively at deliveries outside off. This is just the time for Pant to play a typically aggressive innings to attempt to unsettle the bowlers, but he played low-percentage defensive shots outside off: the very best you do is middle them for a dot, and the worst is to edge them with no potential for them flying over the slips. When he did that three balls in a row to Trent Boult, the 3rd one took the edge. Was Pant playing never to the conditions but all the criticism and axes he has faced for seemingly "irresponsible" shots previously? Only he'll know.

Shami showed the proper intention when he went for a slog, but he finished up hitting in to the wind, and in addition New Zealand had a deep forward square leg in place simply for that. India's lead read 115 in those days, but Ravindra Jadeja and Jasprit Bumrah proceeded to frustrate New Zealand. Jadeja's six back over Boult's head was special while Southee kept swinging it at night bat of Bumrah. To the last ball of an over, Bumrah wished to run to give the strike to Jadeja, but Boult had done well to cramp the batsman up with a brief ball. It went nowhere, Boult fielded well in his follow-through, and Kane Williamson did better to be there to collect the throw since it missed the stumps.

New Zealand corrected their mistake from the next morning and asked for a heavy roller, which settled the pitch down for 20 minutes roughly. For the reason that period, Yadav provided a few loose balls to get New Zealand going. Toms, Latham and Blundell, showed amazing application and intent, putting behind them every play and miss, every blow on your body, and just of prodigious seam movement. Whenever a scoring opportunity provided itself, these were up for it, in particular when it found running aggressively.

The ninth over of the innings underlined how difficult the conditions were. Bumrah swung and seamed each of those balls from a length, drew an internal edge from Blundell that Pant's dive couldn't meet up with, and practically bowled Latham twice. The batsmen made no mistake on some of those occasions.

However, whenever a bowler overpitched or provided width on a short ball, the two pounced on it, heading back to lunch unseparated, having scored more than the last four India wickets added on the morning. India came back without Shami for the second session, and against a deflated side, the Toms took the opportunity to lend some stylish touches to the series win. Drives down the bottom and on the up, punches off the trunk foot, cuts, domination of spin, all made an appearance.

Latham were left with twin fifties, Blundell with the joint-highest score of the match, 55, and merely to underline the conditions, India found three wickets towards the finish with short balls and still-prodigious seam movement.