A heroic stand of 137 in nearly 11 hours at the crease by Gautam Gambhir ensured the second Test between India and New Zealand ended in a draw on the final day yesterday.
When Gambhir’s match-saving, marathon performance came to an end he had batted through three days’ play and rescued his side from a perilous situation.
After New Zealand made 619-9 declared, India were in strife when they were rolled for 305 in their first innings and lost their first second innings wicket at 30 when asked to follow on.
But Gambhir, in his 24th Test, was unfazed by the carnage and set about a rescue mission that lasted 642 minutes and ended with India all but safe.
It was left to VVS Laxman on 124, the 14th century of his Test career, and Yuvraj Singh on 54 to bat out the last two hours and get India across the line with their 1-0 series lead intact.
New Zealand have one chance left to salvage a draw from the three-Test series when the final match starts in Wellington on Friday.
With conditions against the bowlers, the five days of cricket produced 1,400 runs including a double century, four centuries and seven half-centuries.
Jesse Ryder’s 201 for New Zealand was the man-of-the-match feat, but Gambhir’s second innings response for India, when he came in on Saturday and departed yesterday, was the most exemplary.
That he scored 64 fewer runs than Ryder mattered little to India. Of more importance was that he soaked up 153 more minutes of playing time than the New Zealander.
His dogged fifth Test century was the seventh-longest stand by an Indian, though it was also the lowest score among the top 30 innings of endurance by Indian batsmen.
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