Rishabh Pant’s six sixes off Tim Southee, who came out of the Chinnaswamy Stadium, could well have changed the momentum of the game. India went from being in control to barely holding on in the Test match, something rare at home.

India were bowled out for just 46 runs in their first innings, and New Zealand responded with a massive 402. In the second innings, India came out attacking, scoring 400 runs in around 80 overs at a run rate of 5 per over, with captain Rohit, Kohli, Sarfaraz and Pant in between runs.

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As 80 overs had passed, New Zealand took the new ball. However, the new ball wasn’t doing much in terms of swing and seam, as Jarrod Kimber’s analysis confirmed, and India seemed comfortable playing it. Everything was going well until the 86th over, when Rishabh Pant swept Tim Southee for a huge six that flew out of the Chinnaswamy Stadium.

A six that changed the scenario of the game

But after Pant’s six, which came off the field, a replacement ball was brought in and by that time India were 425/4. Suddenly, this new ball started swinging and moving a lot more, making things much more difficult for the Indian batsmen.

Pant, who was nervous and dealing with a knee injury, was desperate to get his century. Just before his dismissal, he had pushed for a risky double to get closer to the milestone. But on the next ball, he came out. William O’Rourke played a tricky delivery from around the wicket, short and wide of the seam. Pant put a bat on him, but the ball bounced off his stumps.

At that point, India had been ahead in the game for the first time and it looked like they might actually pull off a remarkable comeback. But after Pant’s six, things fell apart. India lost 6 wickets for just 37 runs in 13 overs and could only set New Zealand a target of 107.

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But credit must also go to the New Zealand seamers, who bowled with perfect line and length, troubling the batsmen. Henry and O’Rourke took three wickets each, while Southee took one, following a good start from spinners Ajaz Patel and Glenn Phillips, who claimed the first three wickets of the innings.

In the end, India lost the test match as New Zealand chased down the target and won by 8 wickets.

Something similar happened at the Chinnaswamy stadium earlier this year.

Something similar happened at the Chinnaswamy Stadium earlier this year in IPL 2024. MS Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja were hitting the RCB bowlers hard, helped by a wet ball that made it difficult for them to bowl slower deliveries. CSK needed 63 runs off 24 balls to reach the playoffs, which was quite a challenge. But then the dew came and suddenly Dhoni and Jadeja became unstoppable. They reduced the target to just 17 runs in the last 6 balls.

Dhoni then took a short ball out of the stadium and had to be replaced. CSK looked set to qualify, with just 11 runs it seemed like a formality. However, in the next delivery with the change of ball, Dhoni was dismissed by the first slower ball that went well, followed by another good one. Suddenly, the 11 races went from safe to unattainable. The key difference was that Yash Dayal had the ball dry and CSK lost that match.

From these situations alone, it can be said that sometimes when the team in control replaces a damaged ball, the new ball behaves differently, making it easier for batters to score. Other times, it works in the players’ favor, helping them regain control when the runs are flowing.

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