India made a strong comeback on Day 3 of the first Test against New Zealand at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Friday. After the Kiwis scored 402 in their first innings and took a 356-run lead, India’s batting response was bolstered by Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Sarfaraz Khan.
New Zealand resumed their innings at 180 for 3, with Rachin Ravindra and Tim Southee leading the charge. Ravindra scored a brilliant 134 runs off 157 balls, marking his maiden Test century in Asia. His innings included 13 fours and 4 sixes. Southee contributed with a quickfire 65 off 73 balls, helping New Zealand set a strong first-innings total. The duo's 137-run partnership pushed New Zealand past the 400-run mark, ultimately ending their innings at 402.
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In response, India began with openers Rohit and Yashasvi Jaiswal, who added 72 runs for the first wicket. Rohit scored 52 runs off 63 balls before being dismissed by New Zealand's Patel. Kohli then partnered with Sarfaraz, building a century-plus stand. Kohli reached a half-century and finished with 70 runs from 102 balls, becoming the fourth Indian batter to cross 9,000 Test runs. He now joins an elite group alongside Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, and Sunil Gavaskar.
Sarfaraz, who played aggressively, ended the day unbeaten on 70 runs off 78 balls. India concluded Day 3 at 231 for 3, with Kohli’s untimely dismissal occurring just before stumps.
