Cricket: Indian batsmen set highest challenge

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If New Zealand are to avoid a 2-0 series loss to India over the next two days, one of three things must happen.

Only rain (unlikely today, possible tomorrow), two days of batting defiance (on the first innings, no chance) or pulling off the greatest fourth-innings run chase in test history (forget it) will halt India's march to their first series win in New Zealand for 41 years.

Make that four things. The bad light, which cut play off 8.1 overs early yesterday, will be back today and tomorrow, courtesy of a dumb decision not to allow for daylight saving.

India start today 531 runs ahead, with five second innings wickets standing, sitting like a fat cat on the rug in front of a roaring fire on 349 for five.

New Zealand can have no complaints. They have played poorly, despite arriving fired up for the season finale and buoyed by a strong effort in the drawn second test at Napier.

They were sitting pretty when they had India 204 for six soon after tea on the first day, then let it all go with a dopey hour of ill-judged short-pitched bowling at the Indian tail.

There are reasons batsmen come in at No 9, 10 and 11. They aren't as good as those at No 3, 4 and 5. Possessing solid batting prowess is not their strongest cricket trait. But instead of bowling sensibly at batsmen of lesser talents, New Zealand's bowlers blew it.

India, thus reinvigorated, capitalised on an awful day's batting by New Zealand on Saturday. They were rolled for 197, five wickets tumbling for 76 in the middle session. Only one batsman, opener Tim McIntosh, could mount a cogent argument that he was got out by a fine delivery.

That set the scene for yesterday, and once Gautam Gambhir and Rahul Dravid had got to lunch without mishap, en route to a fine 170-run stand, the die was cast. New Zealand should offer to pack little lefthander Gambhir's bags for him and escort him to the plane on Wednesday with a farewell boot up the backside.

His 167 yesterday was his second match-defining innings in as many tests, his sixth test 100 and fifth in the last 13 innings. In that period, Gambhir has averaged 96.

When India arrived, all the talk was of the middle-order power of Sachin Tendulkar, Dravid and VVS Laxman. Gambhir, unspectacular but possessing considerable powers of patience and skill and buckets of determination, has been India's most reliable batsman of the series.

New Zealand's bowlers worked away determinedly in blustery conditions yesterday but there was a feeling of inevitability about it.

Captain Daniel Vettori beavered from 12.05pm to 4.36pm unchanged for 29 overs, getting Dravid and Tendulkar, playing probably his final innings in New Zealand.

Dravid went to a clever piece of anticipation by wicketkeeper Brendon McCullum, moving smartly to clutch a reflex catch down the leg side off the batsman's gentle sweep; Tendulkar was well caught at slip by Ross Taylor.

Late in the day, Iain O'Brien demonstrated what should have been done on that first afternoon, bowling intelligently and with penetration at the off stump. He hit Laxman's with a beauty, but not before the elegant batsman from Hyderabad had shared an unhurried stand of 106 with Gambhir.

Vettori and O'Brien did a good holding job through the middle of the day, conceding only 29 in 15 overs at one point.

But Gambhir and Laxman were like a couple of well-upholstered businessmen enjoying a long lunch; no hurry, no worry because they were thoroughly in charge, courtesy of the previous two days' activities.

India's plan is to leave New Zealand 600 and give themselves five sessions to get 10 wickets. Given the events of the last three days, it looks like simply a case of how long New Zealand can hold on.