Ajinkya Rahane toiled hard to score a valuable 49, the highest individual score in India's first innings, but gave away his wicket to a surprisingly half-hearted pull shot.
Even though Rahane could be blamed for playing such a loose shot after all the hard work, the New Zealand team's planning behind the dismissal deserves credit. It wasn't an accidental wicket, rather a planned strategy from Neil Wagner and skipper Kane Williamson that did Rahane in. Better put, it was a trap well laid, which Rahane fell into.
The third ball of the 79th over got Rahane to play a similar pull shot which fell in no man's land. Back then, there was no fielder at the short leg position. But immediately after Rahane's mistimed pull shot, Williamson and Wagner placed Tom Latham at short leg in anticipation of a similar shot again.
Rahane did exactly what he was expected to do as Wagner pitched one short the very next ball.
Latham made no mistake to complete an easy catch and send the vice-captain back to the dug out.
This was not the first time Rahane fell to Wagner off a short ball. The Kiwi got him last year at Christchurch too where Rahane dragged a pull onto the stumps.
Talking about his dismissal, former India cricketer VVS Laxman said, "This has become a pattern in Ajinkya Rahane's Test career, especially in overseas conditions. This was the same gameplan which the New Zealanders executed against him in Christchurch and this is something that he requires to understand.
"Once Sachin Tendulkar told me, to succeed in international cricket, you should know where your off stump is and also how to defend or leave the bouncers. If the opposition knows you are a compulsive pull shot player, they are going to bowl a barrage of bouncers at you."
