Mumbai: India’s bowling hero of the day, Ravindra Jadeja, summed up the first day of the third Test against New Zealand’s toppers. He had put the hosts in a good position by taking yet another five-wicket win, 5/65, on a track that gave him plenty of help. And it seemed like he would savor the day until the last ten minutes of the day.

Scoring 78/1 in response to New Zealand’s first innings total of 235, India were in control until opener Yashasvi Jaiswal took a reverse sweep. He missed and was knocked down. Mohammed Siraj was sent as a night watchman and he was dismissed first ball, but before leaving he took a DRS test and eventually Virat was run out as he attempted a misjudged single. Ten minutes of madness; ten minutes that left India on the brink of further collapse.

But what was it like in the dressing room when a disaster-tinged film seemed to be playing out in the middle? According to Jadeja, they didn’t even have time to react.

“Reaction ka time hi nahi mila, 10 minutes main sab kuch ho gaya,” Jadeja said.

A series of schoolboy errors from the hosts in the final minutes of the first day left the 20,000-strong crowd at Wankhede deflated and the atmosphere in the Indian dressing room charged. A series of three wickets in eight balls before stumps left the home side 149 runs adrift of New Zealand’s total on a pitch that took a considerable turn.

With India expected to bat last, unless the batters up their game, the hosts could find themselves at the mercy of a hitherto unthinkable sweep on their home turf.

There is no doubt that the game is changing, but no match, regardless of format, is won without awareness of the game. Understanding when not to play shots that carry a higher degree of risk is a lesson Jaiswal will need to learn quickly. “I don’t play the move. Ask those who do it,” Jadeja said when asked about the reverse sweep.

But it’s not just about the young hitter. India’s tactical decisions that followed were indicative of a group of players suffering the shock of sudden defeats. Why send Mohammed Siraj, the designated number 11, as night watchman when there are better batters in the lower order? On a turning wicket it was a big risk and by chance he got the first ball out.

It didn’t stop there. The big blow came with the late wicket of Virat Kohli (4). Of all the ways to get out, Kohli got run out. After a trademark shot from Rachin Ravindra to get out of the frame, Kohli hit the ball straight to mid-off and ran for his life. It was down the right side of Matt Henry and his direct hit comfortably beat Kohli’s desperate dive.

If Kohli replayed the scenario a hundred times, he wouldn’t run away. But he did it. It was not intentional. It was pressure. On days like this, one can only imagine how cruel the sport can be.

As the day began, captain Rohit Sharma looked to players R Ashwin and Washington Sundar to see if they could challenge Tom Latham with the angle of the wicket. Washington found immediate rewards. Latham (28) played inside the line only to see his stumps disturbed. A little later, Rachin (5) also fell to the young off-spinner.

Towards the end of India’s second innings bowling in Pune, there were signs that Jadeja was regaining his usual control. And in Mumbai, it all came together as India’s most successful left-arm spinner tore through New Zealand’s middle-order with his 14th 5-wicket haul.

What the 14 wickets that fell on the day won’t tell you is that midway through the day there were signs that the ball was getting softer and refusing to misbehave. The Indian fielders’ shoulders were beginning to slump, the punishing Mumbai sun leaving them in constant need of fluid replenishment.

But Jadeja delivered two deliveries out of nowhere which brought life back into the stands. Until then, Will Young kept the spinners at bay. Young swept occasionally, a risky option on the red ball surface with bounce, but he also used his feet at will and went on the attack.

Jadeja ended Young’s 71-run knock with one that turned enough to take his outside edge. Two balls later, he produced a similar ball to go past Blundell’s outside edge and hit the stumps. New Zealand were pushed back from 159/3 to 159/5.

Jadeja had sown enough doubts in the minds of the incoming batters with his quicker deliveries taking a sharp turn. Just then he fired one at a similar speed and managed to hold his line. Glenn Philips (17), playing for the tour, played.

It was only Daryll Mitchell, captaining 82, bowled in defiance of heat and spasms, who helped New Zealand reach a respectable total. Only the second day will tell if this will be enough to push India into a bind.