Zaheer rocks New Zealand

Close New Zealand 41 for 3 (Zaheer 3-16) trail India 500 for 5 dec (Dravid 222, Ganguly 100*) by 459 runs
Scorecard

A rip-roaring spell of fast bowling from Zaheer Khan had New Zealand gasping for breath in the last session of the second day, as they struggled to fashion a response to India's 500 for 5 declared. Zaheer knocked over the top three of the New Zealand batting order in successive overs, and left them precariously placed at 41 for 3 at stumps. Zaheer's spell vindicated Sourav Ganguly's decision to declare with over an hour left in the day's play, and set the New Zealanders the task of playing out 19 overs on what was, after all, a perfect batting pitch. Ganguly declared as soon as he had reached his tenth Test hundred, which supplemented Rahul Dravid's monumental 222, his third Test double-century.

Zaheer's first three overs were not significantly interesting, as he strove to work out what was on offer for him on a slow pitch, one on which the New Zealand fast bowlers had quickly resigned themselves to bowling a decent line and length and hoping for the best. But Zaheer is quicker than Daryl Tuffey or Jacob Oram, and he kept Mark Richardson and Lou Vincent honest with slight variations of length and a hint of inswing.

Then came the wickets. First, Richardson was hurried into a defensive stroke, half-forward, to a delivery that seamed into him, and the ball took the inside edge and sent the off stump cartwheeling. That sight would have sent the heart of a fast bowler pounding on any kind of pitch, and Zaheer, whooping with delight, his fists pumping, was so energised by the wicket that he promptly looked twice the bowler he had been at the start. He then proceeded to set up Vincent with another wonderful piece of bowling. The right-handed Vincent had looked to tackle Zaheer's biggest threat, his incoming ball, by only playing at anything on the stumps. But Zaheer got one to pitch in line and go across him from slightly wide of the crease, and the ball flew off the edge in the direction of first slip. It was Parthiv Patel, though, who dived for the ball and came up with a sensational one-handed catch.

And Zaheer's third wicket was the most crucial and the most emphatic dismissal of all, that of Stephen Fleming. He played no stroke to a ball that pitched just outside off stump, and slumped in dismay as he heard the rattle of timber behind him. It was fast bowling at its very best.

The last session was the most absorbing of the day, but the groundwork for India's position of strength was laid earlier by Dravid and Ganguly. India scored only 71 runs in the morning session for the loss of VVS Laxman, who attempted to hit Daniel Vettori down the ground and only found Paul Wiseman at mid-on. Laxman made 64, and after his departure Ganguly and Dravid played out the rest of the session, before taking charge after lunch. They added 118 between lunch and tea, and 182 runs in all for the fourth wicket.

Dravid brought up his double-hundred shortly before tea, with a flick through midwicket off Scott Styris. It took him 365 balls and just over nine hours, and he progressed to his highest Test score before getting a faint edge to a ball from Oram, a rare mistake in what was otherwise an immaculate innings, and prompted perhaps by his desire to force the pace. He was replaced by the diminutive Patel, who showed that he had improved his batting since his last Test match nine months ago by playing a delightful little cameo. He hit Oram for three fours in one over, sending his home crowd into raptures, and had no compunctions about taking on Tuffey, whether it was hooking his short-pitched balls or answering his barbs. He put on 53 for the sixth wicket in quick time with Ganguly, and his brilliant catch to dismiss Vincent made it a very satisfying day's work for him.

It was also an eventful day for Ganguly: he led the Indian run-charge after Dravid was out, made a hundred to bolster his dipping Test average, and was involved in an incident that was the first of its kind in Test cricket. He late-cut a ball from Vettori to third man and ran two, but umpire Rudi Koertzen, who had earlier seen his colleague David Shepherd issue a warning to Ganguly for running on the pitch, adjudged that Ganguly had repeated the offence and disallowed the runs.

Chandrahas Choudhury is a staff writer with Wisden Asia Cricket.