New Zealand restricted to 192; visitors 100/2 at stumps
Wellington: Ishant Sharma exploited the seaming conditions brilliantly to return with a career-best six for 51 as India took early control of the second and final Test by skittling out New Zealand for a paltry 192 in the first innings, here on Friday.
Sharma (6/51) justified captain MS Dhoni’s decision to bowl first on a greentop as the lanky pacer kept the host batsmen on their toes with his testing line and length.
Rising pacer Mohammad Shami (4/70) also contributed in India’s dominating performance show on day one as he picked up key wickets of Kane Williamson (47) and debutant James Neesham (33) at crucial junctures.
Opener Shikhar Dhawan then hit an attacking unbeaten half-century as India reached 100 for two at close, still trailing by 92 runs at the Basin Reserve.
Dhawan (71) and night-watchman Sharma (3) were at the crease after the visitors lost the wickets of opener Murali Vijay (2) and Cheteshwar Pujara (19).
Sharma continued with his splendid show from the first Test as he claimed his second five-wicket haul of the series and fifth overall in his 55th Test.
Sharma took three wickets in the first four overs of his morning spell and that laid the foundation for India’s hugely successful day when they are hoping to level the series. While experienced speedster Zaheer Khan hit probing lengths immediately, Shami was still in the same mode as at Eden Park, bowling a tad short and looking for bounce from the wicket than movement in the air. However, he was negotiated easily by the batsmen as the Kiwi openers took 14 runs off his first three overs.
It meant that Sharma was introduced into the attack as early as the eighth over and thereon, went on to bowl unchanged for nine overs, turning the morning session India’s way.
Hamish Rutherford (12) was unable to keep down a well-aimed short ball and was caught by Vijay at first slip. Two overs later, Sharma bowled an inswinger that hit Peter Fulton (13) on his pads and was trapped LBW, resulting in another poor start for the Kiwis.
In his third over of the morning then, the bowler continued his good work and made debutant Tom Latham’s day a bad one, dismissing him for a duck in his first Test innings.
Latham’s fall brought Auckland’s double-centurion Brendon McCullum to the crease and together with the in-form Kane Williamson, he avoided further damage for nine overs but only put on 19 runs for the fourth wicket, when Shami returned and bowled a much improved fuller length in his second spell. It earned him just reward, as McCullum (8) played a loose shot and was caught by Jadeja at mid-off.
In the post-lunch session, Williamson and Corey Anderson started at 51/4 with the two batsmen looking to control the damage done in the first session.
The latter looked to hit out and counter attack the bowling. He hit three fours and one six, but couldn’t last long enough.
He was snapped up by Sharma, the hero of the day, in the 34th over of the innings. Anderson made 24 runs before an inside edge ballooned off his pad and went straight to Virat Kohli at gully, adding 39 valuable runs with Williamson, who was again lucky having survived twice before lunch.
Sharma took his fifth wicket in the 36th over, dismissing BJ Watling for a duck. The batsman was caught in the slips by Rohit Sharma. He should have had a sixth in the same over, but Williamson was again caught off a no-ball. Finally, Tim Southee became Sharma’s sixth victim in the 52nd over, a soft catch to Vijay at mid-wicket. (PTI)