India win the third Test against New Zealand by 321 runs to claim the series 3-0

Indore, (PTI) A splendid six-wicket effort from

premier strike bowler Ravichandran Ashwin saw India maintain

their stranglehold on New Zealand and remain firmly on course

for a 3-0 series whitewash at the end of third day's play in

the final Test match here.

Riding on Ashwin's brilliant figures of 6/81, India

bowled out New Zealand for 299 thereby taking a healthy

first-innings lead of 258 runs.

Virat Kohli, however, did not enforce the follow-on and

India were 18 for no loss at stumps increasing their overall

lead to 276 runs.

Veteran opener Gautam Gambhir was retired hurt on six

after sustaining a shoulder injury going for a second run. At

stumps, Cheteshwar Pujara (1) and M Vijay (11) were at the

crease for the home team.

The day belonged to Ashwin, who used the bowlers' rough

brilliantly by operating from the pavilion end to get his 20th

five-wicket haul in his 39th Test.

The off-spinner, who grabbed 10 wickets in the series

opener at Kanpur and four in the second match at Kolkata, also

ran out two batsmen off his own bowling.

His spin partner Ravindra Jadeja accounted for the other

two wickets in the visitors' innings.

With two days left in the game, India, who won the first

two Tests by huge margins, looked well-poised to score another

victory for a clean sweep of the series.

After the run-glut from captain Virat Kohli (211) and

Ajinkya Rahane (188) on the first two days, it was the spin

magic from Ashwin that enthralled the big crowd after the

Kiwis had put on the first century stand of the series from

either side for the first wicket.

Ashwin came up with a sensational post-lunch spell to

grab four top order wickets, including three in the space of

13 balls, after New Zealand openers Martin Guptill (72) and

Tom Latham (53) had made a great start by putting on 118 runs.

Ashwin sent back Latham, to break the opening partnership

before lunch, and then dismissed captain and No 3 Kane

Williamson (8) before adding the scalps of Ross Taylor (0) and

Luke Ronchi (0) to trigger a top-order collapse from which New

Zealand could not recover.

He then trapped the stubborn James Neesham on the sweep

shot in front of the stumps for 71 and then brought the

innings to an end by having last man Trent Boult caught in the

deep.

He was also responsible for running out Guptill and

Jeetan Patel by deflecting the ball on to the non-striker's

end stumps, as the batsmen were caught out of the crease.

Left-arm spinner Jadeja, who claimed 2 for 80 by breaking

two half-century partnerships down the order, gave Ashwin good

support as the Kiwis folded up forty minutes before the

scheduled close.