Cricket: Vettori's men have mountain to climb

Sachin Tendulkar was in typically surgical form constructing his 42nd test century yesterday, the Black Caps ruing an earlier dropped catch with every masterful stroke. Photo / Getty Images

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New Zealand must bat at least into the final afternoon tomorrow if they are to prevent India taking first dibs in the three-test series at Seddon Park.

At this stage on the evidence thus far, there seem two chances of that happening; stuff all and none. Then again, to retune the old line, rain could save India.

New Zealand will start the penultimate day at Seddon Park on 75 for three - night watchman Kyle Mills going lbw to Munaf Patel off the final ball - trailing India overall by a further 166 runs.

Let's save the line about large sopranos, but it's getting that way.

The good news? The pitch doesn't appear to be falling apart. The problem is New Zealand aren't looking like they are capable of batting long enough, and keeping wickets intact along the way.

Martin Guptill and Daniel Flynn showed in the final hour what was possible with skill and application, until Guptill, one short of a test 50 on debut and after batting impressively, mistimed a catch to mid-off.

But all that followed a demonstration of muscle flexing by India's batsmen as New Zealand's performance wilted. The fielding through the innings was poor, four catches went down, and the bowling got ragged.

That said, Sachin Tendulkar has damaged far better bowling attacks than this and he was at the heart of the operation to rub New Zealand out of the contest yesterday.

His 42nd test century, 160 in 299 minutes off 260 balls, was all class. With every run, Flynn's dropped catch on 13 the previous afternoon, hurt more.

India made sure Tendulkar wasn't left to do the job on his own. They produced a steady stream of decent partnerships - 105, 61, 76, 115 then the final demoraliser, 35 and 28 for the last two wickets as Zaheer Khan happily hit out for his third test 50 as India reached 520.

They got 106 for one in the first session, 136 for five in the second, then got stuck into the New Zealand order.

Chris Martin was bowling well and had produced a maiden and a couple of jitters in Tendulkar on 99. He was then taken off, which seemed odd.

It was the sixth over of his spell. Throughout the innings, Iain O'Brien and Kyle Mills bowled one seven-over spell. Everything else was no more than six for the fast-medium men, which sounds like a loading issue, to use the terminology for avoiding overbowling.

New Zealand coach Andy Moles put the Martin-Tendulkar situation down to a captain's choice.

"We're looking to get an equal workload [among the bowlers]. There was certainly nothing in place. It was just coincidence," he said.

Tendulkar was outstanding, with barely a false stroke, and 26 boundaries along the way. He respected the good ball, dispatched the bad. New Zealand's bowling overall was poorer than Thursday, although Martin justified captain Dan Vettori's faith in wanting him in the side.

India made sure they didn't lose wickets in clumps and the latter stages of their innings served to drain the remaining spirit, as the tail had fun with the attack.

Zaheer skied Mills to deepish mid-on where Martin didn't even get under it, then slapped James Franklin to deep point where Flynn misjudged a regulation chance and grassed it. By the time Vettori removed the last two, the die had long been cast.

The sour note for New Zealand came in with Zaheer's third ball, when Tim McIntosh edged low to Tendulkar at first slip. The ball appeared to fall short, but he claimed the catch. There was no double check. Television replays suggested McIntosh was unlucky.

In times like this, you need any good fortune that's around.

Had Guptill survived with Flynn, New Zealand would have approached today with some feeling of still being alive. Now it's a two-day trek in jandals.


SCOREBOARD

New Zealand

First innings - 279

Second innings:

T McIntosh c Tendulkar b Khan - 0
M Guptill c Sehwag b H Singh - 48
D Flynn not out - 24
K Mills lbw b Patel - 2
Extras (1b) - 1
---
Total (for 3 wkts, 31 overs) - 75

Fall: 0, 68, 75.
Bowling: Z Khan 8-3-14-1, I Sharma 9-2-34-0, M Patel 5-1-14-1, H Singh 6-1-18-1, Y Singh 3-1-4-0.

India

First innings (278-4 overnight):

G Gambhir c McCullum b Martin - 72
V Sehwag run out (Franklin) - 24
R Dravid b O'Brien - 66
S Tendulkar c Taylor b O'Brien - 160
VVS Laxman c Taylor b Martin - 30
Y Singh b Martin - 22
MS Dhoni c McCullum b O'Brien - 47
H Singh c Vettori b Mills - 16
Z Khan not out - 51
I Sharma c McCullum b Vettori - 6
M Patel c Martin b Vettori - 9
Extras (6b 3lb 8nb) - 17
---
Total (all out, 152.4 overs) - 520

Fall: 37, 142, 177, 238, 314, 429, 443, 457, 492, 520.
Bowling: C Martin 30-9-98-3, K Mills 22-4-98-1 (5nb), I O'Brien 33-7-103-3, J Franklin 23-1-98-0, D Vettori 35.4-8-90-2 (3nb), J Ryder 9-5-24-0.