[1]Before the first Test began, New Zealand captain Ross Taylor had said the weather in Hyderabad was very similar to that in his country and that his players were happy with the ‘home conditions.’
On Saturday, the climate played to the visitors’ advantage with rain robbing 52 overs of the third day’s play at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium.
After action was delayed by an hour in the morning, heavy rains returned in the afternoon to render the field wet, forcing the umpires to call off the day at the stroke of tea.
In between, India quickly wound up New Zealand’s first innings for a mere 159 and claimed opener Martin Guptill in the second essay to take a stranglehold on the match.
At 41/1, the Kiwis are still 238 runs behind India’s first innings total of 438 with nine wickets in hand. And as it appears, only the weather can save them from impending defeat.
With thunderstorms forecast on Sunday and rain on Monday, Taylor and his men will hope for a repeat of the 2009 Test at the Basin Reserve in Wellington, where India’s chances were watered down with the hosts on the brink.
Wily off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin shone bright on a gloomy day, returning with career-best figures of 6/31, surpassing the 6/47 against the West Indies in his debut Test in Delhi last year. It was also the third five-wicket haul of the 25-year-old’s eight-Test career.
The New Zealanders losing six wickets for 94 runs in the 162 minutes of play possible encapsulated India’s dominance on a day 16,329 spectators turned up, a match high.
When play began, it took India only 10 balls to claim the first wicket of the day — Kruger van Wyk trapped leg before by Umesh Yadav as he misjudged the length and attempted a pull.
With the game turning, captain M.S. Dhoni introduced spin in the sixth over. Pragyan Ojha soon lured Doug Bracewell out of his crease with a beauty that flirted with him before deceiving him in the air on her way Dhoni to leave him stumped.
James Franklin at the other end did his bit as the Kiwis crawled to 150 but never looked like getting anywhere near the 200 mark. Dhoni held back Ashwin till the 16th over of the day before pressing him into the attack. The bowler promptly struck with his third delivery — Jeetan Patel caught and bowled in a brilliant reflex action.
A little later, he had Trent Boult caught by Gautam Gambhir at short leg and castled Chris Martin next ball to terminate the visitors’ innings.
New Zealand were cautious in their second innings and adopted a risk-free approach as Guptill and Brendon McCullum tried to play safe. They had dragged the side to 22 when the former was let off as a diving Virat Kohli only managed to get his outstretched hand to an edge that flew low towards second slip, Ojha the bowler.
However, the New Zealand opener failed to capitalise on the chance and fell after scoring just one more run, to the same bowler.
scorecard
India (1st innings) 438.
New Zealand (1st innings): B. McCullum c Kohli b Ojha 22, M. Guptill c Kohli b Ashwin 2, K. Williamson c Sehwag b Ojha 32, R. Taylor c Kohli b Ashwin 2, D. Flynn lbw b Ashwin 16, J. Franklin (not out) 43, C. van Wyk lbw b Yadav 0, D. Bracewell st Dhoni b Ojha 17, J. Patel c&b Ashwin 10, T. Boult c Gambhir b Ashwin 4, C. Martin b Ashwin 0. Extras (b4, lb7) 11. Total (in 61.3 overs) 159.
FoW: 1-25, 2-29, 3-35, 4-55, 5-99, 6-111, 7-141, 8-153, 9-159.
Bowling: Khan 11-4-33-0, Yadav 8-0-24-1, Ojha 21-6-44-3, Ashwin 16.3-5-31-6, Sehwag 2-0-4-0, Raina 2-0-6-0, Tendulkar 1-0-6-0.
New Zealand (2nd innings): M. Guptill lbw b Ojha 16, B. McCullum (batting) 16, K. Williamson (batting) 3. Extras (lb6) 6. Total (for 1 wkt, in 18 overs) 41.
Fow: 1-26.
Bowling: Ojha 9-4-13-1, Khan 5-2-4-0, Yadav 3-0-13-0, Ashwin 1-0-5-0.
Links:
[1] http://archive.asianage.com/sanjay-1jpg-120