India squander early initiative, Taylor and Ryder revive NZ

Joseph Hoover

Napier, Mar 26 (PTI) India had New Zealand on the ropes
at a jittery 23 for three before the Kiwis staged a brilliant
recovery through centuries by Ross Taylor and Jesse Ryder to
lay the foundation for a huge first innings total in the
second cricket Test here Thursday.

Playing sans regular skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who
sat out with a back injury, India removed three top order Kiwi
batsmen inside 11 overs before a 271-run stand between Taylor
(151) and Ryder (137 not out) guided the hosts to a healthy
351 for four at the close of first day's play.

Ryder and James Franklin (26) will return Friday to push
further New Zealand's tally and justify Daniel Vettori's
decision to bat first.

Taylor and Ryder, who enjoyed their share of luck, batted
with gusto and scored at a brisk rate to frustrate India's
stand-in skipper Virender Sehwag, who had no clue how to stop
the blooming partnership.

While the Kiwi pair batted with aplomb, poor fielding --
including three dropped catches and a missed run out chance --
compounded India's misery and they struggled to stem the flow
of boundary.

Taylor, dropped by Yuvraj Singh when at four, was lucky
to be reprieved in his nervous nineties when Rahul Dravid
grassed one in the lone slip. Yuvraj also dropped Franklin off
Zaheer Khan in the slips after the new ball was taken.

Taylor and Ryder's 271-run stand was New Zealand's best
for all wickets against India and for the fourth wicket
against all teams.

If Vettori had wanted his batsmen to spend long hours at
the crease and play out 100 overs in an innings, Taylor and
Ryder did just that. They consumed 255 minutes and 361 balls
while running the Indians' patience thin.

There were moments when the Indian bowling seemed
listless, and ached for another specialist bowler while their
fielding was shoddy.

Sehwag turned his arm over in desperation for a
breakthrough but made no impression on the batsmen and Yuvraj,
given an over, was mercilessly hit out of the attack.

Taylor, woefully short of runs right through the series,
was the more dominant partner, throwing his willow at
everything that was flung at him. He did have his share of
chances which eluded the slip cordon, but hung on grimly to
produce his third Test hundred in his 27th innings. His 151
was studded with 26 fours and a six off Harbhajan Singh.

On the other hand, Ryder, who had scored a resilient but
classy 102 in the first Test at Seddon Park, batted with the
authority and finesse of a seasoned professional. Except for a
nick off Harbhajan which gushed past wicketkeeper Dinesh
Karthik, the 24-year-old's innings was flawless.

Ryder was a class act, lending grace to every stroke he
made. The hallmark of this burly left-hander has been his
ability to play the ball late, the back foot punches through
covers off Zaheer and Munaf Patel standing out among the 17
boundaries he hit Thursday.

In rare moments of aggression, he hit the cherry clean
and hard, once hoisting Sehwag into the stands at mid-wicket.

Earlier, India, pursuing their 100th Test win, began in
right earnest as Ishant Sharma and Zaheer Khan wrecked the
Kiwi top order, removing Tim McIntosh (12), Jamie How (1), who
replaced the injured Daniel Flynn, and Martin Guptill (8) in a
trice.

The left-handed McIntosh was the first to go in the
eighth over even though replay suggested he didn't nick Ishant
Sharma. Then, Zaheer struck twice in eight balls, castling How
with one which rattled the leg and middle stumps.

Guptill was done in by a well-directed short ball, which
climbed even as he sought to evade it. The ball ballooned off
the glove for Sehwag to complete the catch, lunging forward at
gully.

But it was the Kiwis who called the shots for the rest of
day. If Ryder and Franklin extend their 57-run unbroken
partnership and consolidate New Zealand's position Friday, it
could well spell trouble for India. PTI JH
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