KANPUR: India finished day four on a high, thanks to half-centuries from Shreyas Iyer and Wriddhiman Saha, who helped India set New Zealand a target of 284 before Ravichandran Ashwin struck late to dismiss Will Young.

Shreyas Iyer stole the show again in his debut Test match, this time with a 65-run knock that put India in command on day four of the Kanpur Test. Starting the day at 14/1, another brilliant morning session by the New Zealand pacers put the hosts in trouble, with 5 wickets down and the lead hovering around 100 runs.

But Iyer and Ashwin (32) kept the ship afloat for India before the lower-order chipped in with some crucial runs. The day began with Kyle Jamieson snaring Pujara's wicket on 22. After looking irritated during his brief stay at the crease, skipper Ajinkya Rahane would follow suit. For four minutes, Ajaz Patel pinned him in front of the stumps.

Southee's brilliant over would result in two wickets in an over. Mayank Agarwal would be the first to go, having edged one to Latham on a delivery that was shaping away from him. He'd then catch Jadeja with a spectacular inswinger, despite failing to contribute a single run to the scoreboard.

As India approached lunch at 84/5, Ravichandran Ashwin and Iyer would counter-attack.

In the second session, the duo continued in the same vein until the introduction of Jamieson ended Ashwin's crucial knock of 32. When Ashwin tried to put a wide delivery away, he ended up chopping the delivery onto his own stumps. Iyer would then form an important partnership with Wriddhiman Saha as the game began to shift away from the visitors.

Iyer would reach a half-century as his brilliant match continued, upping the ante with some daring shots. 

Southee dismissed him on 65 at the stroke of tea, but not before a crucial 64-run stand with Saha. The veteran wicketkeeper-batter contributed as well, nudging the ball around and rotating the strike on a regular basis.

The final session would be a source of great frustration for the visitors, as they failed to break Saha and Axar Patel's partnership. Despite not being able to find the breakthroughs, they did not allow the Indian batters to run wild and up the scoring rate at an alarming rate. Meanwhile, Wriddhiman Saha would reach a tenacious half-century, demonstrating his tenacity as a batter once more.

After a brief water break in the 79th over, the two batters began to accelerate their scoring rate as it became clear that a declaration was imminent. It came after 81 overs, with India's score at 234/7 and a lead of 283 runs. With the light fading fast, it would be a difficult task for New Zealand's openers to counter the final few overs of the day.

And Ashwin delivered exactly what India needed, catching Will Young for two runs. The umpires denied the opener a review because time had expired and replays showed that the delivery would have missed the stumps. The visitors are now in trouble, finishing on 4/1 and needing 280 runs to win on the final day.

India, on the other hand, will be confident of taking the required nine wickets on a pitch that will aid their spinners.

Edited - SportsAction / Inputs - Agency