Cricket: India quite content to play it ultra safe

Umpire Simon Taufel is unmoved by Daniel Vettori's frantic appeal for lbw. Photo / Mark Mitchell

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If India don't win the third and final test today, barring a downpour, they'll most likely only have themselves to blame.

By batting on and on in their second innings, they deprived themselves of at least another 30 overs bowling at New Zealand.

Rain is forecast for the final day. On one level it won't matter to them; they have already won the series. However, 2-0 has a more comprehensive feel to it than 1-0.

Bad light stopped play at the final drinks break yesterday, with 23 overs unbowled in the day. New Zealand are 167 for four, courtesy of an unbroken 83-run stand between Ross Taylor and James Franklin.

They are 450 short of the winning target but might get out with a draw. That's small comfort for being outplayed in the test and series.

"Tomorrow is an opportunity for the guys to stand up. If we get out of the test with a draw, whilst it's not the desired result, we'll know we have shown some character," vice-captain Brendon McCullum said last night.

Taylor, on 69, and Franklin, on 26, have raised that prospect, helped in the final session by an almost tangible feel that the Indians were going through the motions.

At one point, they had an 8-1 offside field with medium pacer Munaf Patel bowling outside the off stump at Franklin. It was mickey taking of the highest order and they wasted a chance to ram home their authority.

Batsman Yuvraj Singh last night suggested it was to prevent New Zealand scoring runs. You couldn't see his tongue lodged firmly in one cheek, but it must have been there. The Indians are ready for the flight home.

In the morning, captain MS Dhoni and Yuvraj climbed into the bowling before the declaration finally came leaving New Zealand the small matter of 617 to get, or bat out five and a half sessions.

Which brings us to one of the problems besetting the New Zealand team at present.

Opener Tim McIntosh went for four, well caught by Rahul Dravid at third slip, for his world-record setting 182nd test catch. The stand was worth 30, the best of the series.

In 17 opening partnerships this season, New Zealand's openers have averaged 20, passing 50 just once, against Bangladesh at Chittagong by two men no longer there, Jamie How and Aaron Redmond.

Daniel Flynn fell to the irrepressible Zaheer Khan with cricket's equivalent of a snooker cannon - ball on to inside edge, then leg, then stumps. His summer has ended poorly.

Martin Guptill hoicked Zaheer for a pair of sixes over fine leg but just when he seemed set for his first test 50, went lbw to Harbhajan one run short.

Jesse Ryder edged low to slips two balls later and India were ripping along. At 84 for four, New Zealand were slipping as quickly as the clouds scudding across the Wellington sky.

Amid questions of whether New Zealand's fast-medium bowlers are used on too-short a leash, unable to remain effective for long spells, it's worth noting that Zaheer bowled 15 overs unchanged, and impressively, in testing, blustery conditions.

The Indians were guilty of one piece of sharp practice. Taylor, on 9, pushed Harbhajan to short leg where Gambhir claimed the catch. It clearly didn't carry.

Taylor was halfway back to the pavilion before being recalled. He responded by getting stuck in, for a time more in ODI than test mode, taking five fours in two Ishant Sharma overs. He wasn't about to go down meekly.

But today, weather permitting, looks a tall order for New Zealand.