Mumbai: Mayank Agarwal's fighting 146 not out helped India reach 285/6 against New Zealand at lunch on day two of the second Test here at the Wankhede stadium on Saturday.
The first session saw the left-arm spinner Ajaz Patel claiming his third five-wicket haul in the red-ball cricket. Wriddhiman Saha (27) was plumbed after he misread the length and tried to play a cut shot.
Ajaz cleaned up Ravichandran Ashwin for a duck on the next ball but Axar Patel denied the Black Caps bowler a hat-trick. Only Peter Petherick (against Pakistan in 1976) and James Franklin (against Bangladesh in 2004) have taken hat-tricks in the history of New Zealand men's Test cricket.
The visiting side took the new ball after the completion of 80 overs. After losing two partners, Mayank Agarwal found the much-needed support from Axar. While Mayank continued his text book batting, Axar played some attacking shots.
Mayank and Axar, who smashed four boundaries in his 32 not out, stitched an unbeaten 61-run partnership before leaving the ground for a well-deserved lunch. (UNI)
