Conflict on the field: Rohit Sharma steps in as Sarfaraz Khan and Daryl Mitchell's clash escalates; chaos ensues moments later

During the first session of the opening day in the final India vs New Zealand Test, tensions escalated as Daryl Mitchell and Rohit Sharma engaged in a heated exchange during the final over before Lunch. The confrontation seemed to stem from Mitchell's dissatisfaction with Sarfaraz Khan's alleged murmuring from under the helmet at the forward short-leg position. This led to Rohit Sharma approaching Mitchell near the stump-mic for a serious discussion.

The play came to a momentary halt as the duo exchanged words, with the crowd strongly cheering behind the Indian skipper. However, things calmed down without the need for intervention from either of the on-field umpires. The drama, though, was far from over, as merely two deliveries later, India conceded five runs through overthrows in a glaring lack of miscommunication.

Ravindra Jadeja sent down a flighted delivery, drifting it into the pads of Mitchell. The ball struck Mitchell low on the pads, prompting a thunderous LBW appeal from the Indian fielders. As the appeal intensified, Mitchell, spotting an opportunity, took off for a quick single.

Amid the confusion, a throw came firing in from Akash Deep, aimed to catch Mitchell off his crease.

But the twist didn’t end there. Mitchell managed to ground his bat just in time, beating the throw by a fraction, but the ball ricocheted off into the field, rolling away past the infield and racing to the point boundary. In the blink of an eye, what had started as a loud appeal turned into a four-run gift for New Zealand.

The Indian team, after a brief moment of consideration, wisely opted against the review, as replays confirmed Mitchell had gotten a thick inside edge.

The Kiwis batted first after winning the toss at the Wankhede Stadium, but India made early inroads as the hosts picked three wickets in the first session. Washington Sundar, who was the rare positive for India in the previous Test, was on song once again, picking two of the three.

The Kiwis have already secured the series, registering a dominant 8-wicket win in the first Test in Bengaluru before defeating India by 113 runs in Pune. India will now look to avoid a rare clean-sweep series defeat at home.