Openers Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir gave India a flying start after the bowlers triggered a New Zealand batting collapse on the second day of the second Test yesterday.
The hosts were 178 for two at the close, trailing by 172 runs, with Rahul Dravid (7) and Sachin Tendulkar (11) at the crease.
Resuming on 258 for four after Tim McIntosh’s opening-day century, New Zealand added just 92 runs for the loss of six wickets at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.
Photo: AFP
Sehwag (96) then tore into the Kiwi bowling, putting on 160 for the first wicket with Gambhir (54), before being bowled by captain Daniel Vettori while attempting a slog sweep.
The swashbuckling Sehwag shifted gears after completing his half-century and hit 15 boundaries and a huge six during his 120-ball stay at the wicket.
Gambhir, desperate for a big score after a recent poor run of form, compiled a gritty half-century. He fell soon after his opening partner, caught down the leg-side off paceman Tim Southee.
Earlier, in a fiery spell, left-armer Zaheer Khan (4-69) trapped Gareth Hopkins (4) and Kane Williamson (4) leg before wicket as he swung the ball back from around the wicket.
Spinner Harbhajan Singh chipped in by removing Vettori (11), Jesse Ryder (70), Southee (10) and Chris Martin (3) to foil New Zealand’s chances of a formidable first-innings score.
Ryder took the attack to India with 10 boundaries.
He was particularly punishing on an erratic Shanthakumaran Sreesanth, before edging Harbhajan to Vangipurappu Laxman in the slips.
The three-match series is tied at 0-0 after the opening Test was drawn in Ahmedabad.
PAKISTAN V SOUTH AFRICA
AFP, DUBAI, United Arab Emirates
Pakistan opener Mohammad Hafeez scored a patient half-century to build on some good work by the bowlers on the second day of the first Test against South Africa in Dubai yesterday.
Hafeez scored 60 during an opening stand of 105 with Taufiq Umer (42) to guide Pakistan to 144-2 after paceman Umar Gul chipped in with three wickets off 20 balls to wrap South Africa’s first innings up on 380 all out.
Experienced batsman Younis Khan was unbeaten on 21 and Azhar Ali was 12 not out as Pakistan trail by 236 runs with eight wickets intact.
Pakistan will pin their hopes on Younis — playing his first Test since July last year — to build up a decisive first-innings lead as the pitch is expected to take spin on the last two days of the five-day match.
Hafeez, playing his first Test for three years, and Umer, playing his first since 2006, gave Pakistan a sound start, countering the three-pronged South Africa pace attack with confidence.
Hafeez smashed seven boundaries during his fourth Test half-century, before giving a simple catch to mid-on off left-arm spinner Paul Harris.
Six runs later, Umer was trapped leg before wicket by paceman Morne Morkel. It was Pakistan’s first century stand for the opening wicket for 17 innings.
Earlier, Gul (3-100) led Pakistan’s fightback and was ably supported by left-arm spinner Abdul Rehman (3-101) and Saeed Ajmal (2-95) as Pakistan dismissed seven South Africa batsmen for 69 runs as the Proteas middle order collapsed.
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