India lost three wickets for eight runs in a space of seven balls to be reduced to 86/4 on the opening day of the third Test at the Wankhede in Mumbai.

This was after Ravindra Jadeja had bowled 22 unchanged overs in the oppressive heat to pick up his 14th Test five-wicket haul and bowl New Zealand out for 235.

But it was India’s batting collapse that was the talking point. It was all looking
rosy for India as Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill batted with confidence taking India to 78/1.

They had put in the hard work on the field after losing the toss, and were all set to finish proceedings on a solid footing. But then brain fade happened to India.

Jaiswal decided to bring out the reverse sweep to a ball from Ajaz Patel that pitched outside his leg stump. A conventional sweep would have served him better but it was a pre-meditated shot which brought about his downfall.

Then, in a strange choice, Mohammed Siraj was sent in as the nightwatchman. He was out first ball. A peach of a delivery, which turned past his bat and hit his back leg in front of the stumps. It looked plumb and yet he reviewed after consultating non-striker Gill.

What followed in the next over was disaster.

Virat Kohli was involved in a poorly-judged run-out in Pune where both he and Rishabh Pant were too eager for a quick single, ending in the dismissal of the latter. At the Wankhede on Friday, Kohli plotted his own downfall, taking off after tapping the ball to Matt Henry at mid-on. The dive wasn’t clean either culminating in his falling short of the crease.

“What a waste of a wicket. I don’t know what was going through Virat Kohli’s mind,” Ravi Shastri said.

Kohli has scored only 92 from five innings at an average of 16.40 in the series so far. That's bad news ahead of the tour of Australia.

Washington Sundar (4/81) was India’s standout bowler in the morning, Jadeja (5/65) excelled in the second half. Thereafter, it was a complete mess. India are failing to hold on to the advantage gained. Will they do better on Day II?