New Zealand gain upper hand in first Test as Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah continue to struggle

Trent Boult delivers with bat and ball, India trail Kiwis by 39 runs with six wickets in hand

Trent Boult of New Zealand celebrates after taking the wicket of Cheteshwar Pujara of India during day three of the first Test at the Basin Reserve in Wellington. Getty Images

Trent Boult picked up three wickets after scoring a quickfire 38 in Wellington. Getty Images

India's Virat Kohli was dismissed for 19 on Sunday. AP

India's Mayank Agarwal, right, celebrates after reaching fifty at the Basin Reserve in Wellington. AFP

Trent Boult hit five fours and a six during his inning of 38 at No11. AP

New Zealand's Colin de Grandhomme, left, and Kyle Jamieson took their total to 348. AFP

Jasprit Bumrah failed yet again with the ball, picking up just one wicket. Getty Images

Ishant Sharma picked up five wickets despite suffering from jet lag. AFP

New Zealand finished the third day of the first Test against India in Wellington in control, still ahead of the visitors after taking four second-innings wickets.

Left-arm seamer Trent Boult was the star of the show for the hosts as his quickfire 38 off 24 balls at number 11 helped the Kiwis score 348 to gain a substantial lead of 183.

He then turned up the heat with the ball, picking up 3-27 including the crucial wicket of Virat Kohli for 19 as the Indians finished the day on 144-4, trailing by 39 runs with six wickets in hand.

India's hopes now rest with vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane, who was batting on 25, and Hanuma Vihari, batting on 15, with Rishabh Pant and Ravichandran Ashwin to follow.

India fell behind in the match after star players Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah failed once again. Both were unable to make any meaningful contributions in the final two matches of the ODI series and in the three innings so far in the first Test, which has resulted in India – the No1 Test team in the world – struggling to stay in the match.

Bumrah picked up just one wicket from his 26 overs and it was left to veteran seamer Ishant Sharma, who was battling severe jet lag, to save the day with 5-68. Kohli fell cheaply in both innings, which has all but extinguished hopes of an India win.

Boult said his main aim now is to ensure New Zealand are not chasing too big a total in the final innings.

"I hope I don't have to bat again," he said.

"If I do my job we won't be chasing too much. It's a very good wicket (and) we know that we have to be on the ball. We can't be walking around feeling we're well ahead of the game because there is a lot of cricket to be played."

Boult said dismissing Kohli early was an important part of putting pressure on India.

"Almost every time we miss, he hits and he hits it well and gets boundaries," Boult said.

"From our point of view, we were trying to dry that up and for me personally using the wicket and the shorter ball was a good plan to try and control his run rate."

The Blackcaps were 225-7 early in the morning session but fighting knocks by lower order batsmen Colin de Grandhomme (43), debutant Kyle Jamieson (44) and Boult ensured a massive lead.

India spinner Ravi Ashwin said lower order players now routinely make good contributions as they "put a price on their wickets".

However, Ashwin said it was too early to talk about a result.

"There's six sessions to go in the game and we're not even at the stage where we can think about what's a good score to defend," he said.

"If you can get as close to the first innings score as they did then we might present ourselves an opportunity to do something, but that's very far away in the game."