Jamieson on top after eight Tests, Ashwin bags the first wicket for 25th time, and much more

It was a damp morning and the start of the day was pushed by half an hour. But, it was a day of events. Thankfully, the rain gods didn’t hamper the day much. In fact, there were times where there were short intervals of bright sunlight. However, for Indian batsmen, it was a duller day than what it was on day two.

Resuming on 146 for three, they lost their skipper, Virat Kohli for his overnight score of 44. Kyle Jamieson had an impressive outing on day two and continued that on day three. Rishabh Pant fell early as he slashed at a wide delivery off Jamieson’s bowling. Ajinkya Rahane fell one short of a half-century. None of the other Indian batsmen were able to make a mark and eventually India succumbed to 217 after being 146 for three.

In reply, New Zealand openers had a similar kind of start as India. The new sensation Devon Conway and Tom Latham posted a half-century partnership. An opening partnership of 70 looked threatening before Ashwin broke the stand in the form of Latham’s wicket. Conway continued his excellent form and got to his third 50+ score. Ishant Sharma provided the big breakthrough at the brink of the day's play by removing Conway. There were few noteworthy stats from the third day. Here are a few of those:

Kohli getting stuck in front a lot too often             

There was a time when Kohli was tentatively poking at balls outside off stump, a weakness at one phase of his career. He rectified it over the years and now he is one of the greats of this era. However, in recent times Kohli is getting dismissed through LBW far too often. Since 2018, this was the 11th instance of Kohli getting dismissed through an LBW. Only Joe Root has been dismissed through this mode more times (16).

Did Kohli lose his way after numerous starts and stops on day two?

At the end of day two, Kohli was the most composed and comfortable batsman among Indians. But, the lesser-known fact is, in the last few balls, especially after the stoppages in the second and third session, Kohli didn't look too comfortable. In the first 90 balls, Kohli had a control percentage of 92.2 percent. This was all before the stoppages. In his last 42 balls, including the eight he faced today, that control percentage plummeted down to 76.2 percent. This lapse of concentration somewhere led to Kohli's downfall on day three.

Jamieson’s steep rise to the top

The tall lanky bowler has already set high standards in the limited matches that he has played. In fact, Jamieson has been the best among New Zealand bowlers in the first eight matches. With one more innings left to bowl, Jamieson already has the most wickets (44) for a Blackcaps bowler in the first eight matches. In those eight matches, Jamieson already has five 5-wicket hauls, which is also the most for a Kiwi bowler.

Ashwin bags the first wicket for the 25th time

Since Ravichandran Ashwin made his debut in Tests, he has been the go-to bowler for India. Let be under MS Dhoni or Kohli or Rahane. In this Test as well, in conditions that aren’t suitable for him, Ashwin was the one who provided the first breakthrough. It’s not the first or second or the third time he has done that. This was the 25th instance of Ashwin picking up the first wicket of the innings, which is the joint most for a spinner alongside Anil Kumble.