Brendon McCullum oozed character in the middle with an unbeaten 124 under pressure but the second Test is on the edge. A thriller could be on the cards.
Entering day five, New Zealand is 115 runs ahead with six second innings wickets remaining. The first session will be critical. Adrift by 122 runs in the first innings, the Kiwis were 237 for four at close at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Monday. The surface provided some turn and bounce in the last hour but the Indian spinners will have to lift their performances.
The host was handicapped by the absence of pace spearhead Zaheer Khan; he was away from the field for 136 minutes after sending down 4.3 overs. He returned in the last session, spent equal time in the arena, and will be eligible to bowl on the final day.
Earlier, Harbhajan Singh made history by becoming the first No. 8 to score back-to-back centuries in Tests. It was a triumphant moment for the feisty customer when he turned paceman Tim Southee for a single, sprinted and then jumped in delight.
The 105-run last-wicket partnership between Harbhajan and a defiant S. Sreesanth swelled the Indian total to 472. Deservingly, crafty left-arm spinner Daniel Vettori returned a five-wicket haul.
An interesting combination
Then, the 125-run association between Kiwi openers McCullum and Tim McIntosh pegged India back. The two openers form an interesting combination. McCullum is a spontaneous stroke-maker while McIntosh is a grafter. The bowlers not only have to shift their line to the right-left pair of contrasts but also have to alter their length given the difference in heights of the two batsmen.
McCullum is a fast thinking and quick-footed. He can pick the length early and hit through the line. Provided width, he crashed Sreesanth through point. The paceman, seeking swing, bowled fuller and was driven through covers and mid-off.
McCullum was light on his feet and fierce with his strokes against the spinners. Harbhajan was effortlessly dismissed over long-off for the maximum. And an inside-out stroke off left-armer Ojha soared over the ropes.
McCullum is sort of batsman who disrupts the line of the bowlers. He swept and reverse-swept Harbhajan, pulled Ojha. The Kiwi was also judicious in his stroke-play. McCullum duly reached his sixth Test century; he is enjoying his new role as a Test opener.
McIntosh played a watchful innings - he was sure about his ‘leaves’ outside the off-stump - but was not entirely strokeless. He eased Sreesanth through covers, danced to wrist Ojha over the long-on fence. The opener was desperately unlucky to be adjudged caught at short-leg by substitute Chesteshwar Pujara after attempting to sweep Ojha. Replays did not reveal any contact with either the bat or the glove.
Losing ground
The Kiwis, gradually, lost ground. Martin Guptill attempted to cut an Ojha delivery spinning away to be caught behind. And Ross Taylor played inside the line of a ball that came back just a shade from Sreesanth to hear the rattle of the timber. Sreesanth disappointed with the new ball but bowled with greater purpose when the sphere got older; there was a hint of reverse-swing for the paceman.
The left-handed Jesse Ryder was shaping well before being prised out by Suresh Raina. The occasional off spinner spun one away from the southpaw from round the wicket to find the edge. The final moments of the day were not without drama. Sreesanth struck Kane Williamson on the helmet with a mean short-pitched delivery but the Kiwi battled on.
Despite three strikes in the last session, the Indian bowling lacked incision. Both Harbhajan and Ojha were not consistent with their length, provided room to the batsmen. In fact, Raina spun the ball more than the specialist spinners.
And it was surprising why skipper Dhoni did not attack McCullum more. There was no silly point for most part when Harbhajan operated. This was surprising since the off-spinner can get the ball to spin away or straighten.
In the morning, Harbhajan continued to flay the bowling, undaunted by the men on the fence. With 295, he is the highest run-getter for India in the series so far. Once again, the New Zealand attack failed to finish things off. The attack has missed someone with extra pace to blow away the tail.
Scorecard: New Zealand — Ist innings: 350
India — Ist innings: G. Gambhir c Hopkins b Southee 54 (129b, 7x4), V. Sehwag b Vettori 96 (120b, 15x4, 1x6), R. Dravid lbw b Southee 45 (144b, 5x4), S. Tendulkar c Taylor b Vettori 13 (28b, 1x4), V.V.S. Laxman lbw b Martin 74 (160b, 11x4), S. Raina c Guptill b Vettori 20 (30b, 3x4), M.S. Dhoni c McCullum b Vettori 14 (21b, 1x4), Harbhajan (not out) 111 (116b, 7x4, 7x6), Zaheer c Arnel b Southee 7 (37b, 1x4), P. Ojha (run out) 0 (7b), S. Sreesanth lbw b Vettori 24 (71b, 3x4), Extras (b-4, lb-8, nb1, w-1) 14; Total (in 143.4 overs) 472.
Fall of wickets: 1-160 (Sehwag), 2-160 (Gambhir), 3-184 (Tendulkar), 4-259 (Dravid), 5-311 (Raina), 6-326 (Laxman), 7-336 (Dhoni), 8-355 (Zaheer), 9-367 (Ojha).
New Zealand bowling: Martin 29-6-87-1, Southee 33-6-119-3, Arnel 24-5-79-0, Vettori 49.4-7-135-5, Williamson 7-0-31-0, Taylor 1-0-9-0.
New Zealand — 2nd innings: T. McIntosh c sub (Pujara) b Ojha 49 (126b, 4x4, 1x6), B. McCullum (batting) 124 (177b, 11x4, 3x6), M. Guptill c Dhoni b Ojha 18 (67b, 1x4), R. Taylor b Sreesanth 7 (19b), J. Ryder c Dhoni b Raina 20 (31b, 3x4), K. Williamson (batting) 12 (33b, 3x4), Extras (b-2, nb-3, w-2) 7; Total (for four wickets in 75 overs) 237.
Fall of wickets: 1-125 (McIntish), 2-174 (Guptill), 3-187 (Taylor), 4-221 (Ryder).
India bowling: Zaheer 4.3-1-12-0, Sreesanth 17-3-70-1, Ojha 25.3-8-60-2, Harbhajan 23-2-79-0, Tendulkar 2-0-7-0, Raina 3-0-7-1.
