Cricket: Cautious start to second test for Kiwis

Caution was the name of the game for New Zealand as they made a watchful start to the second cricket test against India here yesterday.

The tourists got their wish to bat first after captain Daniel Vettori won the toss in muggy, cloudy overhead conditions and they immediately set out their stall despite losing the early wicket of Brendon McCullum.

Tim McIntosh and Martin Guptill guided their team to 75 for one by lunch as they took to heart coach Mark Greatbatch's instructions to get in and stay in on a good batting deck at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, which is hosting Hyderabad's first test in 22 years.

Guptill was the more fluent in reaching 36 not out by the break and McIntosh ended the two-hour session on 25 after applying himself to the task at hand.

McCullum's was the only wicket to fall before lunch when he edged fast bowler Shanthakumaran Sreesanth to wicketkeeper MS Dhoni in only the fourth over of the innings.

He had made just one scoring shot, a thunderous cover drive for four in the second over from Sreesanth, which prompted Dhoni to immediately respond by plugging the gap and taking out his third slip.

The first hour was slow on a flat batting surface resembling a billiards table as just 24 runs came from 11 overs before the drinks break.

Coming off a pair from the drawn first test at Ahmedabad, McIntosh refused to be rushed and took 30 minutes to get off the mark when he square drove left-arm fast bowler Zaheer Khan for two off the last ball of the sixth over.

The tall Auckland left-hander played only at what he had to, although Zaheer and new ball partner Sreesanth probed a good line on a pitch giving them no encouragement.

Guptill adopted a similar approach and was fortunate not to tickle a delivery from Sreesanth which beat him outside the off stump when the batsman was on five.

Offspinner Harbhajan Singh was introduced immediately before the drinks break and operated from one end for the remainder of the session.

McIntosh and Guptill both looked at ease against the spin of Harbhajan and left-armer Pragyan Ojha, with McIntosh raising their 50 partnership shortly before the break by stepping out of his crease and hitting Ojha through mid on for four.

Guptill was obviously watching closely because he went one better in the next over from Harbhajan when he hit the bowler directly over his head for six as the shackles started to loosen.

- NZPA