MUMBAI: India on Sunday set New Zealand a daunting 540 to win the second Test, with the Kiwis’ Mumbai-born spinner Ajaz Patel taking 14 of the hosts' 17 wickets to fall.
Ajaz, a left-arm spinner who took a record 10 wickets in India's 325 in the first innings, finished with match figures of 14-225 – the best ever Test figures by a bowler against India.
The previous best was England fast bowler Ian Botham’s 13-106 in Mumbai in 1980.
Rachin Ravindra took the other three Indian wickets including Shubman Gill (47) and skipper Virat Kohli (36), with the hosts declaring on 276-7.
Axar Patel hit an unbeaten 41 before India called off their innings in the second session on day three.
Overnight batsmen Mayank Agarwal (62) and Cheteshwar Pujara (47) put on 107 runs to take the attack to the opposition in the first hour of play.
Agarwal, who made 150 in India's first innings of 325, reached his fifty with a six off Ajaz and followed it up with another boundary to signal his attacking intent.
The opener received a barrage of short balls from fast bowler Tim Southee, with one hitting him on the forearm and prompting attention by the physio.
He finally fell to Ajaz, who almost bowled unchanged from his end in the morning session, after another attempt to go for the big shot got him caught at long-off.
Pujara, who hit Ajaz for two successive boundaries early in the morning, was denied his fifty after being caught at slip.
He returned 10-119 in India’s first innings on day two to emulate England's Jim Laker and Indian spin legend Anil Kumble for 10 wickets in one innings.
New Zealand’s batting collapsed to 62 all out in the final session on Saturday, leaving India with a lead of 263. – AFP
