The capitulation of the Indian bowling was complete when Rohit Sharma bowled in tandem with Virat Kohli and skipper M.S. Dhoni turned his arm over.
The 28-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman, Bradley-John Watling, played a major role in the disintegration of the Indian attack.
He said after notching up his third Test century and being involved in a match-changing 352-run sixth-wicket partnership with skipper Brendon McCullum, “We feel very proud about the way we batted today and yesterday. We took one over at a time and then built from there. From the position we were in, it was a hard grind and a big effort.”
Watling said, “We knew the first hour would be critical. If we did not lose a wicket, we knew we could build a good lead. From being 90-odd for five to get to this position gives a lot of satisfaction.”
Asked about McCullum’s performance, the Kiwi skipper came up with his highest Test score, Watling said, “He’s still fresh. It has been a great innings from him.”
Dwelling on his chemistry with McCullum even as the two of them went past landmarks, Watling said, “We were not thinking about the records. There was no celebration. It was just hard focus. It was a hard grind for McCullum too.”
Satisfying effort On whether his battling hundred here was his best in Tests, the pragmatic Watling said, “Each time we win, it is a great moment for me. Personally, this was a satisfying effort.” The surface, he said, played true but added New Zealand had the opportunity to put pressure on India on the last day.
India opener Shikhar Dhawan said, “Whatever the target, we will play accordingly.”
He said, “We dominated for the first two days. Today it was a different day, a tough and a long one. Things did not go our way. McCullum and Watling batted very well.”
Dhawan denied that the Indians did not attack enough. “It’s a learning experience for us,” he said.
