India continued to enjoy the upperhand in the second and final cricket Test against New Zealand despite an unbeaten century from home team captain Brendon McCullum, who led a spirited fightback on an absorbing third day, here today.
McCullum pulled the team out of early trouble and made full use of two reprieves to battle his way to 114 not out off 237 balls and together with BJ Watling, who scored an equally important 52 off 208 balls, led a brilliant fightback to keep New Zealand afloat.
McCullum, who was dropped twice early on in his knock, and Watling stitched unbroken 158 runs for the sixth wicket to guide New Zealand to 252 for five in 99 overs at stumps on the third day after they lost their five wickets for just 94 runs.
The pitch on offer today at the Basin Reserve was a far cry from the juicy green surface of the first day and was a perfect platform for New Zealand to wipe out the huge deficit after India made 438 in their first innings in reply to the hosts’ 192.
But the start of the day was far from rosy for the Black Caps as veteran pacer Zaheer Khan inflicted early damage by removing two wickets in the opening session to reduce New Zealand to 87 for four at lunch.
The post-lunch session too started on a precarious note for New Zealand as they lost Corey Anderson (2)cheaply before McCullum and Watling joined hands to bail them out and ensured that India will have to come out to bat again in their second innings.
But with two full day’s play remaining and New Zealand leading India by just six runs with five wickets in hand, the visitors will still fancy their chances to level the series after the hosts won the first Test by 40 runs at Auckland.
Pick of the bowlers
Zaheer (3/60) was the pick of the bowlers for India, charging his way throughout the day, albeit losing steam in the final session.
Ishant Sharma (0/63) and Mohammad Shami (1/72) did much of the horse work while Ravindra Jadeja (1/49) bowled a whopping 26 overs, the most of all the four Indian bowlers.
If the first session belonged to India, the next two sessions, especially the post—tea period, was all New Zealand’s as McCullum and Watling batted with utmost cautious to frustrate the Indians.
McCullum decorated his ninth Test hundred with the help of 14 fours and one six, while Watling struck just four boundaries en route to his seventh Test fifty.
Starting at 146 for five after tea, New Zealand were staring down the barrel and were on recovery path after McCullum and Watling scored at a snails’ pace in the post—lunch session, managing only 59 runs off 29.5 overs.
The duo carried on in the same fashion, picking and choosing the deliveries to score off, even as the Indian bowlers were maintaining tight line and length throughout the day.
Shortly into the final session, in the 68th over, McCullum reached his half—century off 146 balls, with five fours. It was a grinding innings but in the process he became only the fourth New Zealand batsman to reach the 5000—run mark Test cricket.
India had couple of good shouts against the two batsmen now and then, but they were nothing close to the two chances they offered McCullum earlier in the day.
India needed to break the sixth—wicket partnership and expectedly did not waste any time to take the second new ball in the 80th over of the innings.
But McCullum and Watling continued their resistance and raised their 100—run stand off 254 balls.
India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni expected the new ball to do the trick but the move didn’t work.
Scoreboard at stumps on the third day of the second Test between India and New Zealand at the Basin Reserve here today :
New Zealand 1st innings 192
India 1st innings 438
New Zealand 2nd innings (overnight 24—1) Peter Fulton lbw b Khan 1 Hamish Rutherford c Dhoni b Khan 35 K. Williamson c Dhoni b Khan 7 Tom Latham c Dhoni b Shami 29 Brendon McCullum batting 114 Corey Anderson c & b Jadeja 2 B J Watling batting 52
Extras (B—2, LB—6, NB—4) 12 Total (five wickets; 99 overs) 252 Fall of wickets: 1—1, 2—27, 3—52, 4—87, 5—94.
Bowling: Ishant Sharma 23—3—63—0, Zaheer Khan 25—8—60—3, Mohammed Shami 25—4—72—1, Ravindra Jadeja 26—6—49—1.