India falter as Kiwi bowlers strike crucial blows

While quite a few bowlers would love to bowl on the first morning of a Test match, Trent Boult and Neil Wagner would not have been in that particular camp on Thursday, even with the conditions being overcast and humid.

The New Zealand pacers recovered thereafter to restrict the flow of runs to some extent.

Retaining his spot ahead of Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul punched Boult for a couple of fours in the first over.

The 24-year-old hit four boundaries, and a six off Mitchell Santner, before offering a faint edge to wicketkeeper BJ Watling in the left-arm spinner’s second over.

With the batsmen seemingly in control, Pujara fell against the run of play, when he chipped a full delivery from Mitchell Santner, who had early accounted for Rahul, back to the bowler to go for a 109-ball 62, studded with eight boundaries. He had made a total of only 48 runs in four innings against them before his 65 in India’s first innings.

It was then the second wicket stand between Vijay and Cheteswar Pujara that guided India to safety at lunch with score reading 105 for one.

Three wickets in that middle session were enough to spice things up.

India then lost star batsman Virat Kohli for nine and Vijay, reaching 185-4 at tea. Vijay used his bat more like the scalpel of a surgeon to delightfully find gaps behind square on the off side, with equal felicity off pace and spin. The Indian opener was surprised by the extra bounce as the ball took the outer edge of his bat and travelled to where first slip should have been.

Spin all-rounder Ashwin turned to be a solid support for Rohit Sharma, who himself survived a confident leg before appeal from Craig.

On the other hand, the Kiwis had only played a warm-up game against Mumbai in Delhi, where their bowlers conceded runs.

Rohit was well set for a big score and was batting at 35 runs when he made a decision to hit Santner out of the park, resulting in Ish Sodhi cupping the cherry at the edge of the 30-yard circle. Ajinkya Rahane (18) became Mark Craig’s 49th Test victim shortly after tea, the off spinner tossed one up at an awkward length and had India’s vice-captain caught at short leg.

Wriddhiman Saha (0) and Ashwin soon went back in quick succession while Mohammed Shami’s (0) off-stump was uprooted by a lovely delivery from Boult.

Earlier, Indian skipper Virat Kohli won the toss and elected to bat in the first Test of the three match series against New Zealand at the Green Park Stadium here.

The test marks the beginning of a long home season for India and Kohli was determined to kick it off in style after a recent series victory in the Caribbean.

Unsurprisingly, New Zealand’s three spinners bowled the bulk of the overs to share five wickets on a typical sub-continental track which had little for the pacemen.