1st Test, Day 4: New Zealand on top after Chris Martin’s heroics in Ahmedabad Test against India
A stunning exhibition of pace bowling gave http://www.senore.com/Cricket/New-Zealand-c754 the advantage at the end of a riveting day of Test cricket in the first Test between India and New Zealand at the Sardar Patel Stadium, Motera, Ahmedabad.
The veteran pace-man took five of the six Indian wickets to fall on a dramatic fourth day; the sixth (http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Virender-Sehwag-c95429) being a run out.
His heroics left http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750 staring at the prospect of a defeat as they closed the day at 82/6 in their second innings; a lead of 110 runs with only four wickets in their kitty and a full day’s play in what has been an absorbing Test
match.
Resuming at the overnight score of 331/5, the Black Caps had some real moments to celebrate on a day that they dominated ruthlessly.
The unbeaten batsman Kane Williamson, who is making his debut in the Test, posted a brilliant rearguard hundred to show the pundits of the game what he was actually capable of.
The 20-year-old right-hander became only the 8th batsman from his country to post a hundred in his first Test match.
The youngster, who is being hailed as a future batting prospect who can do wonders for his team, stroked 9 fours in his first 100 runs off 244 balls.
The right-hander added 86 runs with his captain Daniel Vettori for the sixth wicket partnership; he was eventually dismissed for 131 runs that included 10 fours and came off 299 balls.
Vettori played a typically gritty innings at the other end, yet followed Williamson to the pavilion in the next over. The two batsmen were dismissed at the same score of 417. Vettori scored 41 runs off 95 balls. Pragyan Ojha accounted
for Williamson’s wicket, and Suresh Raina accounted for Vettori’s.
The New Zealanders folded for 459 runs, giving India a slender lead of 28 runs in the first innings.
It was a remarkable effort by their batsmen, who had little experience of the conditions in the subcontinent.
The Indian bowlers, who had expected to run through the depleted New Zealand batting, were in for a rude shock and had to toil big time on a generally benign wicket.
Pragyan Ojha was the pick of the bowlers claiming 4 wickets in a marathon 53-over spell; Zaheer Khan and S. Sreesanth claimed 2 wickets each while the leading Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh had to be content with a single scalp.
Suresh Raina also took one wicket.
The Indians, who had a 28-run advantage going into the second innings, had hoped to pile on the runs, yet all their hopes were tarnished after a catastrophic start.
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Gautam-Gambhir-c58623, the left-handed opening batsman, was the first one to go in only the third ball of the Indian innings: he was sent packing by Chris Martin, with wicketkeeper Gareth Hopkins taking a catch behind the stumps. Gambhir
failed to score.
There was more drama to follow, as first innings centurion Virender Sehwag perished when he was sent back halfway by http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Rahul-c83321 Dravid and was run out comfortably for 1 run; the New Zealanders were, understandably, over the moon at
having claimed two early wickets.
They had more success to enjoy soon as Rahul Dravid nicked an outgoing delivery from Martin with Hopkins taking a fine catch behind the stumps.
The master blaster Sachin Tendulkar was dismissed by a sharp in swinger from Martin for 12 runs.
The Indians were tottering at 15/5 when Suresh Raina edged an away going delivery from Martin and Ross http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Taylor-c92915 completed a fine tumbling catch in the slips.
Raina also failed to score; the onus was on http://www.senore.com/Cricket/MS-Dhoni-c2028 to pull the team out of the quagmire. The two started cautiously and steadily moved the score board along.
Vettori maintained the pressure and was rewarded before the close of play when Martin completed his five wicket haul by bowling MS Dhoni off an inside edge. The Indian captain scored 22 runs off 72 balls.
At the close of play, Laxman was at the crease with Harbhajan Singh. The right-handed Laxman, who is now the mainstay for India, is batting on 34 while Harbhajan Singh has scored 12 runs.
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