Related Links : New Zealand Vs India, 1st Test Scorecard | India in New Zealand 2008/09
New Zealand have put up a respectable total of 279 in their first innings of the first Test at Seddon Park in Hamilton. Although it may not be a match winning first innings total, New Zealand would certainly take it after they had collapsed to a disastrous 60 for 6 in the morning session! India started their first innings in an exciting manner with Virender Sehwag smashing 5 fours to take them to 29 for no loss at stumps.
Toss: MS Dhoni won the toss and put New Zealand to bat first on what was termed as a decent batting track. There was good bit of moisture in the track and the first one hour was going to be tricky. India had gone in with Munaf Patel as the third pacer ahead of Lakshmipathy Balaji and Dhawal Kulkarni. The Kiwis gave Debut for Martin Guptill.
Morning Session: Kiwis in disarray at 61 for 6
India was granted a breakthrough in the 7th over itself when the inform Martin Guptill edged a Zaheer Khan delivery to slips where Rahul Dravid took his 181st catch to equal Mark Waugh’s world record. In the 9th over, the same bowler was lucky to have got no.3 Daniel Flynn caught down the legside with a not so good delivery. India could have had their third wicket too quickly but they messed up twice – first when a catch was put down by Sehwag offered by Taylor and second through a run out opportunity. Fortunately they didn’t have to pay much as in the 17th over, opener Tim McIntosh (12 from 52 balls) got caught in the gully by Sehwag off an Ishant Sharma delivery. Four overs later, Ross Taylor was cleaned up by a beauty from Ishant Sharma that beat his drive and forced his way onto the stumps. A couple of balls later, left handed James Franklin got a rough caught behind decision from Simon Taufel when an Ishant delivery had only taken the flap of the pad. New Zealand ended the first session at a disastrous 61 for 6 in 25 overs.
Afternoon Session: India forced to go flat and wicketless
New Zealand got their much needed fightback in the afternoon session that was led by Skipper Daniel Vettori and supported by Jesse Ryder, who played the second fiddle. It wasn’t batting at its best but a lot luck went New Zealand’s way, especially Daniel Vettori who escaped with many edges on both sides of the wicket. Jesse Ryder was otherwise quite good in his technique. Both batsmen got through some difficult deliveries and with the sun beating down the pitch only got better and allowed them to drive much more freely. MS Dhoni did a mistake of over bowling Harbhajan who couldn’t trouble the left handers at all on this Day 1 pitch. The two left handers worked their way to half centuries by Tea taking the Kiwis to 162 for 6 in 54 overs.
Vettori, Ryder score tons but India still on top
The final session saw India concede a century to Daniel Vettori quite embarrassingly although the lower order batsman had got three figure twice before. They kept him down to 102 though with the most desperate breakthrough coming in the 71st over when Vettori (118 from 164 balls with 14 fours and two sixes) got an inside edge in an attempted flick off the backfoot that was caught behind. Vettori put up an incredible 180 runs for the 7th wicket with Ryder. The very next ball after Vettori’s dismissal, Munaf Patel came up with the most perfect inswinging yorker that went through the defenses of Kyle Mills. Munaf’s hat-trick was denied by Iain O’Brien who lasted just enough time to help Ryder get closer to his maiden century. In the 78th over, O’Brien got stumped out after leaving the crease to what turned out to be a doosra from Harbhajan which left Ryder stranded on 98! Ryder wasted no time when he got the strike as he stroked his way to his hundred but in the next ball fell miscuing a bit hit off Ishant to end the Kiwi innings in the 79th over.
Jesse Ryder’s 102 at no.5 came in 162 balls with the help of 14 fours, it was a great innings considering that his team was completely in the dumps. Ishant Sharma finished with 4 for 73 in 19.2 overs. Munaf Patel had figures of 3 for 60 in 18 overs and Zaheer was expensive with 16-3-70-2. Harbhajan was clearly over bowled as he got 22 overs that provided a lot of security for Ryder and Vettori in their partnership.
The Indian openers were up against some magical swing bowling from Chris Martin. Gautam Gambhir did very well to keep off Martin and the former became predictable because of his inability to swing the ball back into the left hander. Virender Sehwag on the other hand was dominating, putting away the bad deliveries and also some good ones away for runs. He raced away to 22 from 18 balls. India ended the first day’s play at 29 for no loss in 7 overs. If India can get quick runs then the New Zealand bowling might succumb to the pressure like they did in the One Dayers. India will also have to ensure that they don’t play like the Kiwi batsmen tomorrow morning with some freshness expected in the track.