India displayed a lot more aggression and intent on the second day of the second Test, here, on Saturday.
First, left-arm paceman Zaheer Khan and off-spinner Harbhajan Singh produced telling spells as New Zealand was dismissed for 350; the visitor lost six wickets for 92 runs on day two.
Then, Virender Sehwag's rousing strokes delighted a huge gathering at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. His 120-ball 96 was brush-stroked by creativity.
Sehwag and a determined Gautam Gambhir (54) put on 160 crucial runs for the opening wicket before both openers fell at the same score.
The host was 178 for two at stumps with the illustrious duo of Sachin Tendulkar (11) and Rahul Dravid (7) at the crease. The first session of day three – the pitch has provided seam movement to the paceman in the morning – could be vital.
After an unusually sedate start when he played himself in on a surface offering a measure of bounce to the bowlers, Sehwag upped the tempo.
His economy of movement and balance were on view as he crashed the Kiwi pacemen between point and cover, whipped them through mid-wicket.
Chris Martin and Tim Southee, landing the ball just short of a good length, denied Sehwag width in the initial overs. In fact, Martin beat Sehwag in the corridor with a mean delivery that straightened.
Gradually, Sehwag imposed himself on the attack. He made room through familiar methods – playing besides the line and striking with terrific bat-speed.
Of course, he was picking the length quickly. And Sehwag got on top of the bounce for strokes between point and third man.
When Daniel Vettori introduced himself, Sehwag, shifting his weight to either foot with ease, cut and cover- drove the left-arm spinner for boundaries. And he majestically lofted occasional off-spinner Kane Williamson for a straight six.
Martin returned for another spell but he was nonchalantly smashed over his head by a rampant Sehwag. The opener pulled Vettori to move within a boundary of a hundred. Moments later, Sehwag missed a sweep to be castled after Vettori bravely flighted.
Gambhir, seeking timing and rhythm, applied himself to lend Sehwag support. He was tentative at the start, slashing Southee over a leaping Ross Taylor in the cordon.
The first sign of confidence arrived when he gloriously cover-drove Southee on one knee to the fence. Yet, this innings was more about fight than strokeplay.
Brent Arnell – the Kiwis have a three-pronged pace attack in the Test – probed Gambhir with a rising delivery that struck the opener on the chest. The left-hander soon wristed him to the fence.
Eventually, Southee dismissed Gambhir by getting a rising delivery to angle across from round the wicket. The left-hander, attempting a glide, was pouched by 'keeper Gareth Hopkins.
In the morning, Zaheer Khan was incisive. Not too many left-arm pacemen bowl with the sort of confidence that Zaheer does from round the wicket. Technically, this mode of attack can be demanding for someone whose natural line is over the wicket.
While operating from round the wicket, a left-arm paceman's action opens up more and control is often a casualty. Yet, Zaheer bowled with remarkable precision, harnessing the angles.
Gareth Hopkins expecting the ball to leave him, shouldered arms. The delivery darted in. The in-form Kane Williamson attempted to work the ball to the on-side, missed as the delivery straightened. India had made much-needed breakthroughs early in the day.
And Harbhajan Singh, using the crease capably, turned in a much-improved display. The senior off-spinner was slower through the air, relied more on flight and dip. Consequently, there was turn and bounce for Harbhajan.
He prised out Daniel Vettori on the sweep. The Kiwi skipper seemed unhappy with the decision but the replays did not reveal an edge.
Harbhajan tested the left-handers from round the wicket, getting a few deliveries to spin away, some others to straighten. Jesee Ryder succumbed to a flighted delivery that turned and bounced to kiss the edge.
Ryder batted well for his 70. The southpaw, against his instincts, played the waiting game on day one. On day two, Ryder was a lot more adventurous. He crashed Sreesanth through cover and then gloriously off- drove the paceman to the fence. For someone whose chief strength is the cut and the pull, Ryder does drive the ball fluently.
After Ryder's departure, it was only a matter of time before the Kiwi innings folded up.
Scoreboard -
New Zealand (Ist innings): T. McIntosh b Zaheer 102 (254b, 10x4, 1x6), B. McCullum c Dhoni b Sreesanth 4 (8b, 1x4), M. Guptill lbw b Ojha 85 (160b, 9x4, 1x6), R. Taylor c Dhoni b Zaheer 24 (53b, 1x4), J. Ryder c Laxman b Harbhajan 70 (120b, 10x4), G. Hopkins lbw b Zaheer 4 (11b, 1x4), K. Williamson lbw b Zaheer 4 (12b), D. Vettori lbw b Harbhajan 11 (22b, 1x4), T. Southee st Dhoni b Harbhajan 10 (26b, 1x4), B. Arnel (not out) 6 (29b), C. Martin c Sehwag b Harbhajan 3 (14b), Extras: b-2, lb-20, nb-4, w-1) 27, Total (all out in 117.3 overs) 350.
Fall of wickets: 1-4 (McCullum), 2-151 (Guptill), 3-206 (Taylor), 4-253 (McIntosh), 5-269 (Hopkins), 6-287 (Williamson), 7-312 (Vettori), 8-331 (Ryder), 9-338 (Southee).
India bowling: Zaheer 27-8-69-4, Sreesanth 21-1-88-1, Harbhajan 35.3-10-76-4, Ojha 27-4-80-1, Raina 7-2-15-0.
India (Ist innings): G. Gambhir c Hopkins b Southee 54 (129b, 7x4), V. Sehwag b Vettori 96 (120b, 15x4, 1x6), R. Dravid (batting) 7 (28b, 1x4), S. Tendulkar (batting) 11 (18b, 1x4), Extras (b-1, lb-8, nb-1) 10, Total (for two wickets in 49 overs) 178.
Fall of wickets: 1-160 (Sehwag), 2-160 (Gambhir).
New Zealand bowling: Martin 12-4-37-0, Southee 12-2-45-1, Arnel 11-2-25-0, Vettori 12-0-45-1, Williamson 2-0-17-0.
