Cricket: Black Caps fail to push on

Six wickets fell for 92 runs as a Black Caps batting collapse turned a promising scenario into disappointment in the second test against India yesterday.

Hyderabad is hosting its first test in 22 years at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium but the New Zealanders will feel the third syllable of the city's name was most appropriate in terms of their efforts.

Resuming at 258 for four overnight and with Jesse Ryder and Gareth Hopkins at the crease, the New Zealanders fell into an all-too-familiar batting slump to be dismissed for 350, with India starting strongly to reach 43-0 after 12 overs.

The Black Caps tried hard to work their way to a total that would test India. A publicly suggested 500 was the goal but it looked about as far away as the Taj Mahal after the first session yesterday.

Jesse Ryder led the way with a patient and disciplined 70, made off 120 balls with 10 fours, but other batsmen came and went cheaply.

India's Zaheer Khan started the damage, trapping night-watchman Hopkins LBW with only 11 runs added. Khan's ability to swing the ball then saw New Zealand's young hero of the first test, Kane Williamson, lose balance and his wicket, also LBW.

Khan was the most prolific of India's bowlers, with four wickets for 66 off 25 overs at lunch, but they will have taken even more cheer with a return to form by Harbhajan Singh.

The lanky offspinner has endured a quiet year by his own high standards but struck a telling double blow by removing captain Daniel Vettori and then Ryder as the New Zealand innings creaked and groaned.

Vettori left the crease grimacing and making it clear he felt he had hit the ball - something corroborated by TV replays - but his shot was an awful crossbat sweep-swipe. It was made worse by the fact he played a similar shot to Harbhajan two balls earlier and survived a close LBW appeal.

After that, Harbhajan had Tim Southee stumped as the young bowler tried to get aggressive by going down the pitch and he picked up the final wicket of the infamously batting-challenged Chris Martin suggesting strongly that New Zealand could not count on many more runs.

Ryder, 26, looked in ominous touch after taking guard on 22, peeling off five boundaries in the next 42 minutes as he reached his fifth test half-century. Fresh from scoring 103 in the drawn first test at Ahmedabad, the left-hander struck the ball crisply and immediately found his rhythm.

He leg-glanced Zaheer to fine leg for his opening boundary off just his third ball, then smacked Shantakumaran Sreesanth through the covers for another four.

Left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha was swept to the midwicket fence as Ryder continued to enjoy himself at India's expense. All three of his test centuries to date have come against India and he looked at ease while there were comings and goings at the other end.

He appeared on target to top three figures again until his soft hands deserted him as Singh found the edge of his bat for a simple catch at slip.

If New Zealand found some comfort in the form of Ryder and centurion opener Tim Mcintosh, the return to some form by Singh will have balanced the ledger in India's mind - and could be a worry for the Kiwi batsmen for the rest of the series.

He operated especially dangerously from around the wicket, flighting the ball well and getting enough spin to concern the watchful Black Caps batsmen.

Vettori was immediately peppered with three successive bouncers from Sreesanth, India's fast bowler with attitude, when he came to the crease.

Vettori comfortably ducked under them all, then toe-ended an attempted pull off the fourth ball not far from the man under the helmet at short leg.

But he had made just 11 when the left-hander missed an attempted sweep shot off Harbhajan, the ball hitting him plumb in front in the groin protector and leaving Sri Lankan umpire Kumar Dharmasena with an easy leg decision.

Harbhajan also accounted for Tim Southee for 10, dragging the batsman down the pitch for MS Dhoni to complete a stumping. At that stage, Singh had claimed three for 74 off 33 overs - or three wickets for eight runs in six overs during the session. He ended with four for 76.

Tim McIntosh scored a fine 102, his second test century, yesterday.

The Auckland left-handed opener proved his powers of concentration over 376 minutes before being bowled off an inside edge by Zaheer in the penultimate over of day one.

McIntosh's Barnacle Bill impersonation was vital for the tourists, who opted to bat first on a pitch promising runs. He shared a second-wicket partnership which realised 147 runs with fellow Aucklander, Martin Guptill, who posted 85.