Cricket: Skipper leads to save draw

New Zealand gave a hint of their emerging maturity on the test cricket scene last night when the saved the first test against India with surprising ease.

Faced with scoring an unlikely 374 to win, or batting through one-and-a-half days to draw, New Zealand chose the latter option and were relatively untroubled in grafting their way to 251 for 7 at the close, still 122 runs in arrears but with three wickets up their sleeve.

It was New Zealand's highest fourth-innings total in India.

The tourists were eventually guided to safety by their captain Stephen Fleming, who was out on the last ball for 73, following defiant contributions from Matt Horne, Craig Spearman and Nathan Astle.

After letting their hosts off the hook earlier in the test, New Zealand sensibly placed far more emphasis on occupying the crease in their second innings, with Spearman taking 41 minutes to add to his overnight score of 30, Astle remaining scoreless for 38 minutes after lunch, and Fleming too, curbing his natural instincts while posting his 20th test 50.

Spearman had a useful double after scoring 51 in the first innings, and if he was one of several New Zealanders guilty of not capitalising on such a good start, he at least made a success of the move to shift Fleming down to No.4.

Resuming at their overnight score of 80 for one, New Zealand would have hoped to negotiate yesterday's first session without mishap but instead were forced to deal with the early loss of Horne, and a short time later, Spearman.

Both were caught at first slip by Sourav Ganguly off Joshi, but in dramatically different fashion; Horne pushing forward defensively and getting an outside edge when the total was 95, and Spearman top-edging an ill-advised sweep at 108.

New Zealand still had some anxieties when they went to lunch at 134 for three, but Fleming and Astle gave India little further joy in a 78-run fourth-wicket partnership, coping impressively with the home side's spin-bowling threat Apart from Joshi - who looked best when operating around the wicket - Kumble persuaded a couple of deliveries to bounce awkwardly but went wicketless through to tea.

At tea, it seemed only Indian spearhead Javagal Srinath stood between an honourable draw and an unthinkable loss for the tourists, who went to the break at 188 for four wickets with Fleming unbeaten on 38, and Craig McMillan yet to score.

Srinath's five overs before tea with the new ball produced the wicket of Astle, who may have been unlucky to have been adjudged caught at the wicket, but - although McMillan and Adam Parore fell during the last session - Fleming was looking resolute and relatively untroubled.