Indian batsmen fell to Santner, were all out for 156 runs, New Zealand got a total lead of 301 runs

Pune. Left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner achieved career-best figures of 7-53, helping New Zealand take a crucial 103-run lead by bowling out India for 156 on the second day of the second Test at the MCA Stadium on Friday. New Zealand scored 198 runs for the loss of five wickets in their second innings by the end of the day's play. New Zealand now has a total lead of 301 runs while it has five wickets left.
In New Zealand's second innings, captain Tom Latham batted brilliantly and scored 86 runs with the help of 10 fours in 133 balls and he was dismissed as the fifth batsman at the team's score of 183. Devon Conway scored 17 and Will Young scored 23 runs. At the time of stumps, Tom Blundell was at the crease with 30 runs and Glenn Phillips with 9 runs.
Washington Sundar, who took 7 wickets in the first innings, bowled brilliantly in the second innings as well, taking 4 out of five wickets of New Zealand. Sundar took four wickets for 56 runs in 19 overs. Ravichandran Ashwin took 1 wicket for 64 runs in 17 overs. The onus is now on the Indian bowlers to wrap up the visitors' innings quickly on the fourth day tomorrow (Saturday).
Earlier, Santner troubled the Indian batsmen with a brilliant display of variation in his pace, line and length, flight and dip and took his first five-wicket haul in Tests, bowling relentlessly from the commentary box end.
He was also well supported by Glenn Phillips' brilliant 2-26 and some hasty shot selection and lack of understanding from the Indian batsmen also helped him, who have now given New Zealand a big lead, especially when India had to bat last on the pitch. With this, India are now facing the possibility of losing a Test series at home for the first time since 2012, unless they do something extraordinary to save the match.
In the morning, Shubman Gill and Jaiswal started well with a 49-run partnership for the second wicket. But India's wickets started to fall after Gill was trapped LBW by a quick delivery from Santner.
The Pune crowd went into silence when Virat Kohli tried a pre-meditated slog-sweep off Santner but missed the low full-toss which went under his bat and hit the stumps, leaving the veteran batsman bewildered.
Phillips dismissed Yashasvi Jaiswal in his first over of part-time off-spin but the ball took the outside edge to first slip. Rishabh Pant was then dismissed when a pre-meditated pull shot off Phillips went over the top of his bat and hit the stumps.
Not getting a chance to play a sweep shot, Sarfaraz Khan attempted to go inside-out against Santner but missed the shot to mid-off. Another happy moment for Santner came when he trapped Ravichandran Ashwin LBW off a fast delivery to cap off a brilliant session for New Zealand that saw India crumble once again. By lunch, India were 107 for seven.
Jadeja could have been dismissed off the first ball after lunch when short leg dived forward to take a catch off his inside edge, which New Zealand did not review and later replays showed a spike on the UltraEdge. He then put pressure on Santner by hitting two boundaries and then two sixes off Ajaz Patel.
But Santner got his fifth wicket of the innings by catching a length ball that spun outside off stump and got Jadeja, who was at the crease, out LBW. Jadeja took a review, but replays showed the ball was touching leg-stump, and he walked back for 38.
Sundar smashed two fours and a six off Ejaz but Santner ended India's innings by uprooting the off-stump of Akash Deep and dismissing Jasprit Bumrah LBW to give his team the lead and send them off the field.