BENGALURU: To hell and back. Well, not quite. Now that they are back where they started when the day began, it's on the bowlers to finish what the batters started.
When Saturday dawned, the hosts still needed a few miracles to finish on the right side of the Test. They got the first miracle; an emotionally-charged thrill-a-minute partnership between Sarfaraz Khan and Rishabh Pant.
When the first streaks of the Sun appear across the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Sunday, the bowlers will have a target of 107 to defend.
It's not a lot; the Kiwis, as it stands, are the favourites to take a lead in the series going into Pune next week. But it's something to hang onto.
If there's something about this team, they just don't know when they are beaten. They will keep going till their every available sinew has been stretched and all possible avenues exhausted.
On Sunday morning, they will have one final chance to do something no team has ever done in the 140+ years of Tests — make a comeback from a first-innings deficit of over 350+ runs to win.
A lot will depend on how well they use the new ball. In the four balls New Zealand played before bad light brought an early halt to proceedings, Jasprit Bumrah almost had Tom Latham. He was getting some movement. However, the lights were switched on and the sky was gray. Even if the umpires were probably right to take the players off — it started raining moments after both teams left the ground — Rohit Sharma was airing his frustrations. He wanted at least one more over.
If the conditions are somewhat similar, the hosts will believe. There is a forecast of more rain on Sunday but it's not going to be enough to wash out the day. Accuweather has said it will be 'mostly cloudy with a thunderstorm', with '80% probability of precipitation'.
However, the forecast suggests that at least the morning session won't be delayed. And considering the world-class drainage facilities at the stadium — even after taking a lot of rainfall in under an hour, there wasn't a puddle late on Saturday — there will be enough time for a result if the forecast holds true.
But that new ball, as the cliche goes, holds all the key. It was the key differentiator on an ultimately topsy-turvy kind of afternoon. Even post a lengthy rain delay, Pant and Sarfaraz continued to take the attack. They didn't relent even after gobbling up the arrears.
The Kiwis had no choice but to go on the ultra defensive. They were forced to play the waiting game till the second new ball became due. Once it was available, Tim Southee grabbed it with all the enthusiasm of a child at a candy store. In the first over post it, he could have had Sarfaraz at least twice. He was finding that little bit of extra movement and that acted like a tonic.
Few overs later, the visitors had a lift-off. Sarfaraz, ever so keen to play the ball on the up, tried to clear cover but his mishit flew straight to cover.
Another new ball induced collapse later, they were bowled out for 462, seven wickets for 54. Most of the credit for this should go to William O'Rourke, whose outstanding hat-trick of wicket maidens changed the complexion of the game. When Pant was on 99, the crowd were in fear, their phones in portrait mode, trying to capture this moment for posterity. It was not to be as a change in angle from round the wicket and extra bounce got Pant to chop on.
Off his next over, KL Rahul — who must be under pressure after middling recent returns — nicked one off Rourke. The usually reliable Indian lower-order in these conditions didn't add many more. After getting into a position of advantage, it had been squandered.
"Probably a bit more bounce and a bit more pace than what we expected," Rourke said after the end of play. "It obviously suits a bowler like me, so far I have really enjoyed it."
Irrespective of what happens on Sunday, O'Rourke will be looking forward to the rest of Indian winter. For India, they will have to eke out every available resource to try and turn this around