BANGALORE: Virat Kohli performed a brilliantrecovery act and was just seven runs short of hissecond Test century as India bounced back from a precarious position to leave the second cricket Test against New Zealand evenly poised on Saturday.
Scorecard | Match in Pics
After restricting New Zealand to 365 in the first innings, the Indians were tottering at 80 for four at one stage before Kohli (93 not out) led the Indian fightback as they reached 283 for five at close on the second day at the Chinnaswamy Stadium.
Suresh Raina (55) and captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni (batting 46) also played an important part in India's recovery. The home side still trail by 82 runs with five first innings wickets intact after a half-and-hour's extended play.
The umpires Ian Gould and Steve Davis decided to extend play as 34 minutes were lost on Friday due to bad light. However, play continued under the lights for the second consecutive day.
Kohli was involved in a crucial 99-run partnership with Raina for the fourth wicket and then put on 104 runs with Dhoni for the unbroken sixth wicket stand.
Kohli initially played a waiting game until he found his bearings and executed some delightful drives early on. Later on, he intermittently raised the tempo scoring couple of boundaries in an over. The Delhi batsman chose loose balls to attack and paced his innings well to see India narrow the deficit.
Kohli brought his fifth Test half-century off 100 balls in style by clipping pacer Tim Southee to fine leg fence for four.
Dhoni arrived at the crease when India were in a spot of bother at 179 for five and targeted Kiwi spinner Jeetan Patel in order to get the momentum going.
Dhoni was a delight to watch against Patel as he smashed four boundaries, one off the backfoot through covers and then a helicopter shot over long on and two over deep square leg fence.
Raina, who was looking to capitalise on a partnership with Kohli, began the post tea session with caution, not playing too many shots. He was soon snapped up by keeper Kruger van Wyk on 55 when he tried to glance a Tim Southee delivery to fine leg.
Raina faced 90 balls and hit nine fours and a six. The Kanpur batsman was unhappy with himself for getting out in this fashion for the second time in the series.
Earlier Raina and Kohli took India to 168 for four at tea. Raina, who walked on to the middle when India were reduced to 80 for four, took charge and immediately launched an attack against Kiwi bowlers.
Raina was ruthless against Doug Bracewell and Tim Southee, who had packed the Indian top order batsmen back to the pavillion, smacking them to boundaries.
Raina had a big slice of luck while on his individual score of 48 when the third umpire Sudhir Asnani ruled him not out in an appeal for stumping by Kruger van Wyk as Jeetan Patel had overstepped the bowling line.
Raina soon reached to his seventh Test half century after he took a couple of runs to third man off Patel.
Kohli, who was sedate for a long time, found his bearing soon after as he blasted a six off Kiwi spinner for a six. As the innings progressed, Kohli got his timing right as he cracked delightful boundaries.
Resuming the post-lunch session at 63 for two, Doug Bracewell provided a good start for New Zealand striking twice in quick session to dismiss the dangerous Virender Sehwag (43) and Sachin Tendulkar (17), leaving India tottering at 80 for four.
Sehwag flicked lazily to a fuller ball off Bracewell for Flynn to take a sharp catch high to his right at midwicket.
Two overs later, Tendulkar's middle stump was disturbed as he tried to drive with an angled bat a pitched-up delivery off Bracewell.
Raina, who scored just three runs in Hyderabad Test, looked in good touch. Facing his fourth ball, the southpaw smashed Trent Boult to a boundary to fine leg fence making his intentions clear.
In the next over, Raina punished Bracewell, hitting him three successive boundaries. He again sprayed two boundaries against Southee as India raced past 100 run mark in 27 overs.
New Zealand captain Taylor introduced spinner Jeetan Patel and immediately applied brakes on the run flow for the next seven odd overs. However, Kohli and Raina waited for the right time and hit Patel for 15 runs in an over.
After hitting a six off Patel, Kohli soon found his bearing and executed two glorious drives to the fence. First, he clipped Bracewell through mid-on and the straight-drove Boult with great timing.
Earlier in the morning session, India wrapped up New Zealand's first innings at 365 but lost a couple of early wickets to go to the lunch break at 63 for two.
The visitors lost four wickets in quick succession after their tail did not wag much and could muster only an additional 37 runs to their overnight score.
First to go was Kruger van Wyk for 71 while trying to steer Zaheer Khan but managing to hit in the air to the second slip where Suresh Raina dived to his right to take a sharp catch.
Doug Bracewell, who played cautiously along with him on Friday, dealt in boundaries against the Indian attack but was run out for 43 off 79 balls after Zaheer's misfielding hit the wicket at the non-striker's end.
Jeetan Patel did not stay long as he faced two balls before getting out for a nought to seamer Umesh Yadav.
The New Zealand innings folded after Pragyan Ojha claimed his fifth wicket by trapping Southee.
It was Southee who gave the first jolt in the Indian reply as he got rid of Indian opener Gautam Gambhir and first Test centurion Cheteshwar Pujara with the new ball.
But the other opener, Sehwag, who survived a loud appeal for leg before off Southee early on, looked in devastating moods giving scant respect to the Kiwi pacers.
Giving momentum to the Indian innings after the hosts were in a spot of bother, Sehwag cut loose soon after Gambhir fell at the other end.
The aggressive right-hander made merry by flicking, driving and slashing hard at the deliveries bowled at him.
Tendulkar, who sweated it out at his defence during the nets before the start of the match, played cautiously on a wicket which helped the seamers.
Starting their first innings, the Indian openers had a torrid time out in the middle as Trent Boult and Southee, used overcast condition and moisture on the surface. Both swung the ball and put Gambhir and Sehwag in a spot of bother.
Gambhir, who was lucky to have survived after Brendon McCullum dropped him on one in the slips, fell for two off a Southee ball that curved in and clipped the bail on way to the keeper.
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| Indian batsman Virat Kohli plays a shot during the second day of the second Test against New Zealand at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore. (AFP Photo) |
After restricting New Zealand to 365 in the first innings, the Indians were tottering at 80 for four at one stage before Kohli (93 not out) led the Indian fightback as they reached 283 for five at close on the second day at the Chinnaswamy Stadium.
Suresh Raina (55) and captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni (batting 46) also played an important part in India's recovery. The home side still trail by 82 runs with five first innings wickets intact after a half-and-hour's extended play.
The umpires Ian Gould and Steve Davis decided to extend play as 34 minutes were lost on Friday due to bad light. However, play continued under the lights for the second consecutive day.
Kohli was involved in a crucial 99-run partnership with Raina for the fourth wicket and then put on 104 runs with Dhoni for the unbroken sixth wicket stand.
Kohli initially played a waiting game until he found his bearings and executed some delightful drives early on. Later on, he intermittently raised the tempo scoring couple of boundaries in an over. The Delhi batsman chose loose balls to attack and paced his innings well to see India narrow the deficit.
Kohli brought his fifth Test half-century off 100 balls in style by clipping pacer Tim Southee to fine leg fence for four.
Dhoni arrived at the crease when India were in a spot of bother at 179 for five and targeted Kiwi spinner Jeetan Patel in order to get the momentum going.
Dhoni was a delight to watch against Patel as he smashed four boundaries, one off the backfoot through covers and then a helicopter shot over long on and two over deep square leg fence.
Raina, who was looking to capitalise on a partnership with Kohli, began the post tea session with caution, not playing too many shots. He was soon snapped up by keeper Kruger van Wyk on 55 when he tried to glance a Tim Southee delivery to fine leg.
Raina faced 90 balls and hit nine fours and a six. The Kanpur batsman was unhappy with himself for getting out in this fashion for the second time in the series.
Earlier Raina and Kohli took India to 168 for four at tea. Raina, who walked on to the middle when India were reduced to 80 for four, took charge and immediately launched an attack against Kiwi bowlers.
Raina was ruthless against Doug Bracewell and Tim Southee, who had packed the Indian top order batsmen back to the pavillion, smacking them to boundaries.
Raina had a big slice of luck while on his individual score of 48 when the third umpire Sudhir Asnani ruled him not out in an appeal for stumping by Kruger van Wyk as Jeetan Patel had overstepped the bowling line.
Raina soon reached to his seventh Test half century after he took a couple of runs to third man off Patel.
Kohli, who was sedate for a long time, found his bearing soon after as he blasted a six off Kiwi spinner for a six. As the innings progressed, Kohli got his timing right as he cracked delightful boundaries.
Resuming the post-lunch session at 63 for two, Doug Bracewell provided a good start for New Zealand striking twice in quick session to dismiss the dangerous Virender Sehwag (43) and Sachin Tendulkar (17), leaving India tottering at 80 for four.
Sehwag flicked lazily to a fuller ball off Bracewell for Flynn to take a sharp catch high to his right at midwicket.
Two overs later, Tendulkar's middle stump was disturbed as he tried to drive with an angled bat a pitched-up delivery off Bracewell.
Raina, who scored just three runs in Hyderabad Test, looked in good touch. Facing his fourth ball, the southpaw smashed Trent Boult to a boundary to fine leg fence making his intentions clear.
In the next over, Raina punished Bracewell, hitting him three successive boundaries. He again sprayed two boundaries against Southee as India raced past 100 run mark in 27 overs.
New Zealand captain Taylor introduced spinner Jeetan Patel and immediately applied brakes on the run flow for the next seven odd overs. However, Kohli and Raina waited for the right time and hit Patel for 15 runs in an over.
After hitting a six off Patel, Kohli soon found his bearing and executed two glorious drives to the fence. First, he clipped Bracewell through mid-on and the straight-drove Boult with great timing.
Earlier in the morning session, India wrapped up New Zealand's first innings at 365 but lost a couple of early wickets to go to the lunch break at 63 for two.
The visitors lost four wickets in quick succession after their tail did not wag much and could muster only an additional 37 runs to their overnight score.
First to go was Kruger van Wyk for 71 while trying to steer Zaheer Khan but managing to hit in the air to the second slip where Suresh Raina dived to his right to take a sharp catch.
Doug Bracewell, who played cautiously along with him on Friday, dealt in boundaries against the Indian attack but was run out for 43 off 79 balls after Zaheer's misfielding hit the wicket at the non-striker's end.
Jeetan Patel did not stay long as he faced two balls before getting out for a nought to seamer Umesh Yadav.
The New Zealand innings folded after Pragyan Ojha claimed his fifth wicket by trapping Southee.
It was Southee who gave the first jolt in the Indian reply as he got rid of Indian opener Gautam Gambhir and first Test centurion Cheteshwar Pujara with the new ball.
But the other opener, Sehwag, who survived a loud appeal for leg before off Southee early on, looked in devastating moods giving scant respect to the Kiwi pacers.
Giving momentum to the Indian innings after the hosts were in a spot of bother, Sehwag cut loose soon after Gambhir fell at the other end.
The aggressive right-hander made merry by flicking, driving and slashing hard at the deliveries bowled at him.
Tendulkar, who sweated it out at his defence during the nets before the start of the match, played cautiously on a wicket which helped the seamers.
Starting their first innings, the Indian openers had a torrid time out in the middle as Trent Boult and Southee, used overcast condition and moisture on the surface. Both swung the ball and put Gambhir and Sehwag in a spot of bother.
Gambhir, who was lucky to have survived after Brendon McCullum dropped him on one in the slips, fell for two off a Southee ball that curved in and clipped the bail on way to the keeper.
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