AHMEDABAD, India, (Reuters) – New Zealand pacer Chris Martin bowled superbly on an unhelpful pitch to demolish the top order and leave India with a fragile lead of 110 and six wickets down in their second innings yesterday.
India’s hopes of a competitive lead rest firmly with Vangipurappu Laxman, who combined with Mahendra Singh Dhoni to arrest a batting collapse as Martin, who finished with five wickets, helped reduce the hosts to 15 for five at one stage.
At close of play on the penultimate day of the opening test, the hosts had improved that slightly to 82 for six, with at least 90 overs left in the match.
Martin dismissed Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Suresh Raina and India captain Dhoni to rock the strong Indian batting line-up.
The 35-year old seamer got the edges of Gambhir (0) and Dravid (1) with both caught behind by Gareth Hopkins.
Tendulkar got an inside edge on to his stumps attempting an expansive cover drive while Raina nicked one straight to Ross Taylor at slip for a low catch.
Laxman (34 not out) and Dhoni (22) added 50 valuable runs for the sixth wicket before Dhoni dragged Martin on to his stumps trying to defend a short-pitched delivery. First-innings centurion Virender Sehwag was run out for one by substitute Martin Guptill after a misunderstanding with Dravid.
Earlier, left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha picked up four wickets to leave India with a 28-run first innings lead.
Resuming on 331-5, the visitors were all out for 459 shortly before tea in reply to India’s first innings score of 487.
Kane Williamson (131) scored a century on his test debut, and along with captain Daniel Vettori (41), buoyed the New Zealand innings with an 86-run partnership for the sixth wicket.
The 20-year-old Williamson was unbeaten on 87 overnight and brought up his hundred with a flick to the fine leg boundary off left-arm pacer Khan.
Williamson, who led New Zealand in the 2008 under-19 World Cup in Malaysia, fell at the stroke of lunch, edging one to Laxman at slip off Ojha.
Batting with uncanny composure, he was equally at ease against the Indian spinners and reverse swing from the pacers.
Vettori passed 4,000 test runs before falling just after lunch, edging part-time off-spinner Suresh Raina to Dhoni behind the stumps.
SCOREBOARD
India first innings 487 (V. Sehwag 173, R. Dravid 104, H. Singh 69; D. Vettori 4-118, J. Patel 3-135)
New Zealand first innings (overnight 331-5)
T. McIntosh c Dhoni b Khan 0
B. McCullum st Dhoni b Ojha 65
BJ Watling b Ojha 6
R. Taylor c Laxman b Harbhajan 56
J. Ryder lbw b Sreesanth 103
K. Williamson c Laxman b Ojha 131
D. Vettori c Dhoni b Raina 41
G. Hopkins lbw b Ojha 14
J. Patel b Sreesanth 14
H. Bennett b Khan 4
C. Martin not out 3
Extras (b-5, lb-12, nb-5) 22
Total (all out; 165.4 overs) 459
Fall of wickets: 1-8 2-27 3-131 4-137 5-331 6-417 7-417 8-445 9-445
Bowling: Khan 28.4-6-70-2, Sreesanth 26-2-88-2 (5nb), Ojha 53-14-107-4, Harbhajan 43-7-112-1, Sehwag 1-0-7-0, Raina 12-1-42-1, Tendulkar 2-0-16-0.
India second innings
G. Gambhir c Hopkins b Martin 0
V. Sehwag run out 1
R. Dravid c Hopkins b Martin 1
S. Tendulkar b Martin 12
VVS Laxman not out 34
S. Raina c Taylor b Martin 0
MS Dhoni b Martin 22
H. Singh not out 12
Extras 0
Total (six wickets, 40 overs) 82
Fall of wickets: 1-0 2-1 3-2 4-15 5-15 6-65
To bat: Z. Khan, P. Ojha, S. Sreesanth.
Bowling (to date): Martin 13-7-25-5, Vettori 15-2-31-0, Patel 10-1-18-0, Williamson 2-0-8-0
