Ashwin six-for hands India 258-run lead

R Ashwin claimed his 20th five-wicket haul as he single-handedly ran through New Zealand's top order - with figures of 6 for 81 - to reduce the tourists to just 299 on day three, in response to a mammoth 557-run total posted by the hosts in Indore.

New Zealand's openers, Martin Guptill and Tom Latham, got their side off to a strong start and added 118 runs for the first wicket before Ashwin trapped Latham lbw in the 35th over. Latham's dismissal signalled the start of a collapse as they lost five wickets for just 30 runs.

New Zealand's mainstay, Kane Williamson, was Ashwin's second victim of the day and dragged a full-length delivery back on to the stumps after adding eight. It was the third time in as many innings that Williamson fell to Ashwin.

Ross Taylor, with scores of 36, 4, 0, 17 in the series so far, was the next to fall, as he misread a straight one from Ashwin, which he edged to Ajinkya Rahane at first slip for 0. Guptill looked comfortable for the first time in the series as he added 72 from 144 balls. But he was caught out of his crease at the non-striker's end when Ashwin deflected a straight drive from Luke Ronchi onto the stumps.

Ronchi fell an over later as he edged an Ashwin delivery, which drifted away from him, to Rahane at first slip for 0. Ashwin revelled on perhaps the least spin-friendly pitch of the series and deceived his victims by varying his line and length.

A 53-run stand for the sixth wicket between BJ Watling and James Neesham provided some respite for the Kiwis before Ravindra Jadeja broke the stand and dismissed Watling for 23 and Mitch Santner for 22. Ashwin then completed his five-for by dismissing Neesham for a well-compiled 71 from 115 balls. Trent Boult was Ashwin's sixth victim of the day as he miscued a heave to Cheteshwar Pujara at midwicket to signal an end to New Zealand's innings, which ended 258 runs in the deficit. India chose to bat again and added 18 runs to their already seizable first-innings lead at stumps on day three.

"I look to get a five for, as a batsman looks to get a hundred. You also need the help of other bowlers not to pick up wickets to get five-fors as often as I do," Ashwin said. "I don't find my rhythm very quickly in any of these spells in this series. Once I settled in, the body starts going into the ball, and that was one of those spells [after lunch] Got to give credit to the way Rahane is pulling off those catches, staying low."