Ind-NZ test : spinners shines as visitors batting collapse on second day
Hyderabad: Indian spinners R Ashwin and Pragyan Ojha’s good bowling had put India in the driver’s seat after the second day of their opening Test in Hyderabad on Friday.
The Kiwis still need 133 runs to avoid the follow on with five wickets in hand and seemed headed for a big defeat with three days left in the match.
After Ojha gave the first breakthrough dismissing an aggressive-looking Brendon McCullum, Ashwin rocked the Kiwis with two wickets from his first two overs. McCullum scored 22 off 27 balls with three boundaries.
Ashwin continued his terrific spell with a third wicket in his fifth over to have the Black Caps reeling at 55 for four as his superb first spell figures read 12-3-28-3. Ojha finished the day with two for 30 to show for his efforts.
Earlier, India’s forst innings ended on 438 with Pujara contributing 159 and adding 127 runs for the sixth wicket with skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni who chipped in with an useful 73.
Starting at 307 for five, the duo carried on from where they had left on the opening day to help India get past 400, first time in five matches.
Apart from absence of Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman from the batting line-up, the other major concern was about the close-in catching.
Virat Kohli showed that he is ready to turn into a specialist close-in fielder as he took couple of sharp catches at backward short leg off the bowling off Ashwin.
The one he took to dismiss opposition skipper Ross Taylor was referred to the third umpire who ruled in favour of the fielding side after five minutes of deliberation.
It was also a new look slip cordon for India which had Virender Sehwag at the first slip, Raina at second and Kohli at third, while Gautam Gambhir manned the point region.
In reply to India’s first innings, New Zealand started off on an attacking note with McCullum taking charge of Zaheer Khan who yielded seven from the first over.
