Indian tail exposed as Dravid perishes

New Zealand took two quick wickets to rein in a rapid start to India’s innings, leaving the tourists 101 for two at lunch on the first day of the third cricket at the Basin Reserve on Friday.

Virender Sehwag hit 48 from 51 balls as India rushed to 73 in the 16th over, challenging New Zealand’s decision to bowl on winning the toss, before he and opening partner Gautam Gambhir were out in the space of nine balls.

Sehwag had hit seven fours and a six and seemed set for his first half century of the series, following his earlier scores in the three-test series of 24, 8 not out, 34 and 22, when he fell to Iain O’Brien.

Gambhir had made 23 in 79 minutes when he followed Sehwag, trapped lbw by James Franklin as the New Zealand change bowlers struck after the new-ball pair of Chris Martin and Tim Southee failed to make a breakthrough.

New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori indicated he would gamble if he won the toss and would send India in on a pitch which looked dry, brown and hard and unlikely to assist his four-pronged seam attack.

He took that step when India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, returning after missing the second test with a back injury, called incorrectly and gave New Zealand the chance to implement a risky game plan.

Vettori almost immediately had cause to regret his decision as India, with Sehwag in dominant form, rushed to 50 in only 44 minutes and to 68 without loss by the end of the first hour.

INDIA AWAITING TO SWEEP THE SERIES

With an unassailable lead in hand, India only have to guard against complacency and the notoriously seaming track of the Basin Reserve to notch their first Test win here in 34 years when they take on New Zealand in the third and final match of the series here on Friday.

Having won Tests at Adelaide, Perth, Trinidad, The Oval, Multan, Galle, Johannesburg and Hamilton, they are now faced with their biggest challenge of scoring a win at a venue where their last triumph came in 1975.

Having established a 1-0 lead at Seddon Park, they need to only draw the third and final Test here to achieve a historic series triumph, last accomplished by Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi’s team in 1967-68.

But their task wouldn’t be a stroll in the park as, unlike at Hamilton and Napier, they will be tested on a sporting deck, which is expected to have a lot of carry and assist lateral movement off the seam.

If India can exorcise their fear against the moving ball, it would help to raise their bar in international cricket as a team which has won Test matches in all conditions and wickets, irrespective of it assisting pace, bounce, swing, seam and cut.

Somehow their inadequate skill or technique in combating the moving ball, has stuck out like a sore pimple on an otherwise good Test profile. How else can one explain India’s four defeat and one win record at the Basin Reserve. Interestingly, they have lost their last four Test matches here (1975-76; 1980-81, 1998-99 and 2002-03).

In fact, they had conjured one of their worst performances in Test history when they were bowled out for below par scores of 161 and 121.

But that was when the Kiwis prepared green tops to rattle them.

Today, the Kiwis are wary of the Indian bowling attack. They have refrained from spicing up the deck with grass this time around.

India’s performance over the last 18 months has been the envy of every Test playing nation, a duration in which they have beaten the best in exacting situations.

If they reproduce the character and fortitude that they displayed in the second Test at Napier, when they overcame the odds of losing a Test by an innings and salvaged a draw, the Kiwis, who have strengthened their pace attack by calling in Tim Southee, should be ones squirming.

India’s formidable batting has kept them in good stead with Sachin Tendulkar topping the run aggregate with (273 in three innings), followed by Gautam Gambhir (255), VVS Laxman (230) and Rahul Dravid (219).