On the third day, New Zealand’s batting lineup struggled as Ajaz Patel and William O’Rourke resumed overnight. Ravindra Jadeja led the day’s bowling, followed by a precise spell from Ravichandran Ashwin. Jadeja soon dismissed Patel, ending New Zealand’s innings at 174 runs. After a short break, Indian openers Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal entered with a target of 147 runs. The duo began cautiously on a turning pitch, but Rohit’s innings was cut short by Matt Henry’s clever short delivery.
On the final ball of the third over, Henry bowled a back-of-a-length delivery outside off stump. Rohit attempted a pull shot, aiming to send it over square on the leg side. But the short ball took him by surprise, sending it high toward mid-wicket where Glenn Phillips took a straightforward catch as the ball swirled. Henry celebrated, signalling to his skipper Tom Latham that the short ball strategy worked perfectly. Twitter quickly reacted, praising Henry’s smart plan and critiquing Rohit’s misjudgment.
— Pandit Pranoob (@pranoob76889) November 3, 2024
