Yashasvi Jaiswal has raced away to 46* after just 36 deliveries as India made a fast start in pursuit of the mammoth target of 359 on the third morning of the second Test against New Zealand in Pune. The vagaries of the pitch and the mammoth margin of the target did not affect Jaiswal, who hit the second ball of the Indian innings six times against Tim Southee to make a statement. Much like India’s second innings in Bengaluru, intentions were once again over the roof for the hosts, who however lost captain Rohit Sharma cheaply.

The Indian captain became Mitchell Santner’s eighth wicket of the match when he stepped out and offered a bat-pad catch at short leg. Shubman Gill (22* out of 20) also came forward proactively, showing much better gameplay against spin so far. Both batters used sweeps to good effect, but the blows were not premeditated. The highlight of the session was Jaiswal’s high goal through extra cover against Glenn Phillips just before half-time. The pitch has a lot of tricks up its sleeve and batting won’t be easy, but India’s attack has certainly taken New Zealand by surprise.

Earlier in the morning, India completed the last five New Zealand wickets with the addition of just 57 runs to the overnight score. The first 30 minutes of the day were not in India’s favour, but when Ravindra Jadeja castigated Tom Blundell with a slipping arm ball, the tourists imploded. Santner holed a hole in the deep against Jadeja, while Tim Southee made one and slipped first as the wickets started to tumble. Ajaz Patel also deceived a box deep as India continued to chip away. Phillips played his shots from the other end but ran out of partners, eliminating No. 11 William O’Rourke on the non-striker’s side.

Despite the implosion, the handsome lead of 358 is potentially a match-winning lead on most pitches, let alone on this crumbling surface in Pune. However, India have already knocked out 81 runs on that target with their attacking brand of cricket. Obviously, the hosts will be tough on the bowling, but that will also give New Zealand plenty of opportunities to get through the batting line-up. It is the preparation for a compelling play.

Short scores: New Zealand 259 and 255 (Tom Latham 86; Washington Sundar 4-56, Ravindra Jadeja 3-72) lead India 156 and 81/1 (Yashasvi Jaiswal 46*; Mitchell Santner 1-30) by 277 runs