Cricket: Batting magic gives Vettori sniff of victory

New Zealand wicketkeeper Brendon McCullum celebrates his century against India at McLean Park yesterday. Photo / Getty Images

Live scoring

If you write the second cricket test down as a draw, best do it in pencil rather than ink.

India will start the third day on 79 for three, chasing New Zealand's whopping 619 for nine declared, needing a further 341 to avoid the follow on. This test is very much alive.

Notwithstanding dramatic events in the final 75 minutes which put a spring in New Zealand's step, the indications are still that the batsmen will be doing most of the chuckling at the bowlers' expense for the next couple of days at McLean Park.

But New Zealand have opened the door.

The day ended with five fielders crowded round the world's greatest run-scorer, Sachin Tendulkar, a sight as rare as snow at Christmas.

The Indian innings began in straightforward, and familiar, fashion, Virendar Sehwag racing to 34 in 25 balls. But having launched Dan Vettori's fifth ball over the boundary at wide long-on, he recklessly tried to repeat the shot next ball and was caught behind.

Then fellow-opener Gautam Gambhir was beaten by Jeetan Patel's fine direct hit from mid-wicket. However third umpire Evan Watkin surprisingly judged Gambhir safe.

Gambhir, not recognising a second life when it stared him in the face, then lazily holed out to mid-on to offspinner Patel's sixth ball of the match, adding weight to the theory the Indians are largely dismissive of offspin opponents. When nightwatchman Ishant Sharma went lbw to Vettori in the penultimate over, it finished a hugely satisfying day for New Zealand.

It had primarily belonged to their batsmen, who did precisely what Vettori and the selectors have wanted. They batted time and in partnerships and finished with their third-highest all-time test total.

Having started the day in a strong position through Ross Taylor and Jesse Ryder's first-day centuries, they didn't let an opportunity slip. Any worries of losing wickets in clumps were unfounded. Ryder, James Franklin, Brendon McCullum and Vettori made sure the job was done well with successive stands of 271, 121, 62 and 128.

Ryder led the way. His 201 was an outstanding innings, full of class and determination, the 15th double-century by a New Zealander in tests and the highest score on McLean Park in a test.

Yesterday he moved from 137 to 191 by lunch, the only blemish his part in the run out of Franklin for 52. Ryder pushed and ran, Franklin was slow out of the blocks and beaten by sharp work from Yuvraj Singh at cover.

But McCullum sensed a chance and, once Ryder had gone the ball after getting to 200, took over and his third test century had an inevitable quality to it against an only marginally-interested bowling attack.

Ryder was jubilant after shunting a short ball off his hip to the fine leg fence for his 24th boundary to reach 200.

However it went wrong the next ball, when he dragged a wide one from the worthy Zaheer Khan on to his stumps. Ryder smashed his bat on the ground before trudging off, head down. He barely acknowledged a standing ovation from a supportive crowd before tossing his bat into the pavilion.

It was an ending unbefitting the occasion. Still, that's a small quibble after an innings in which the 24-year-old's stocks within the New Zealand batting set-up grew substantially.

Since the start of the West Indies series, he has scored 529 in six innings, averaging 105.

McCullum's innings was notable for a low percentage - for him - of boundaries, just 13 fours in his 115. Vettori's 19th test 50 almost went by unnoticed, but served to reinforce his fine all-round qualities.

THE NUMBERS GAME

* Jesse Ryder's 201 was the 15th test double-century by a New Zealander, and third-highest score against India, after Graham Dowling (239, Christchurch, 1968) and Bert Sutcliffe (230 not out, Delhi, 1955-56).
*It was the 16th and highest test century on McLean Park in eight tests since 1979. Brendon McCullum made it 17 later in the day.
*It was Ryder's second double-century, after hitting 236 for Wellington against Central Districts at Palmerston North in March 2005.
*The two tests in Napier this season have produced six hundreds - West Indians Chris Gayle (197) and Shivnarine Chanderpaul (126 not out), New Zealand's Tim McIntosh (136 against the West Indies), Ross Taylor (151), Ryder and McCullum.
*New Zealand's first-innings total of 619 for nine declared is their third highest in tests, behind 671 for four against Sri Lanka at Wellington in 1991, and 630 for six declared against India at Mohali six years ago.

SCOREBOARD

New Zealand:

First innings:
T McIntosh c Karthik b Sharma - 12
M Guptill c Sehwag b Khan - 8
J How b Khan - 1
R Taylor c Y Singh b H Singh - 151
J Ryder b Khan - 201
J Franklin run out (Yuvraj) - 52
B McCullum c Tendulkar b Sharma - 115
D Vettori b Sharma - 55
I O'Brien not out - 1
J Patel c Sharma b H Singh - 1
Extras (7b, 8lb, 7nb) - 22
---
Total (for 9 wkts dec, 154.4 overs) - 619
Fall: 21, 22, 23, 294, 415, 477, 605, 618, 619.
Bowling: Z Khan 34-6-129-3 (4nb), I Sharma 27-5-93-3, M Patel 28-3-128-0(2nb), H Singh 41.4-7-120-2, V Sehwag 12-0-73-0 (1nb), Y Singh 12-0-59-0.

India

First innings:
G Gambhir c Vettori b Patel - 16
V Sehwag c McCullum b Vettori - 34
R Dravid not out - 21
I Sharma lbw b Vettori - 0
S Tendulkar not out - 0
Extras (7lb, 1nb) - 8
---
Total (for 3 wkts, 23 overs) - 79
Fall: 48, 73, 78.
Bowling: C Martin 6-1-26-0, J Franklin 5-1-15-0 (1nb), D Vettori 5-1-16-2, I O'Brien 3-2-9-0, J Patel 4-1-6-1.