An Eden Gardens wicket that hinted at being perfect for second and third day batting has left New Zealand flummoxed after two days of the second test.
They are 128 for seven in reply to India's 316 as variable bounce, skidding pace and dipping confidence took hold in skipper Kane Williamson's absence.
The visitors exceeded expectations on the first day in oppressive heat, as occurred in the first test at Kanpur, but could not sustain their performance when they donned the pads.
Matters were not helped by the arrival of forecast rain as Kolkata experiences what a local scribe described as the "season of the retreating monsoon". In the ground's 40-test history across 82 years, this is the first time a match has started in September. Weather intervened for approximately one session.
Indian pace bowlers Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammed Shami made the most of New Zealand's vulnerability with their 140km/h line-and-length pace. Kumar earned the majority of the spoils with five wickets for 33, but Shami, with one for 46, helped minimise the room for visitor misjudgment. Something had to give as result of such pressure.
