| Scorecard: | New Zealand v India |
| Player: | JD Ryder, BB McCullum, I Sharma |
| Event: | India in New Zealand 2008/09 |
The Indian openers Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir saw off the seven overs till the close to hand India the opening day honours at Seddon Park. While Gambhir played watchfully, Sehwag was at his aggressive best during his 18-ball innings. Jesse Ryder and Daniel Vettori scored sparkling centuries and added 186 in 283 balls as New Zealand recovered from a precarious 60 for 6 to post 279. There was next to no contribution from anyone else and once Vettori fell, the crowd held its breath while Ryder started to play the strokes he needed to bring up his first Test hundred.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni's decision to bowl in humid conditions on a well-grassed Seddon Park pitch was more than vindicated as Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma tore through the top order. Though the bowlers managed to get movement from the outset, New Zealand had started promisingly Tim McIntosh didn't appear at ease, but the debutant Martin Guptill started with a superb off-drive off Ishant to settle his nerves. But once the bowlers found their rhythm, the runs started to dry up and, though Guptill pulled Ishant for four to try and seize the initiative but it was too good to last. Zaheer slanted one across to take the edge of Guptill's bat. Rahul Dravid dived across from third slip and took a smart catch at the second attempt, to join Mark Waugh on 181, a world record. When Daniel Flynn tickled one down the leg side for Dhoni to take a fine catch, any sense of well-being disappeared.
Virender Sehwag put down Ross Taylor at gully, despite getting two opportunities to grab on to an ill-judged slash. Taylor eased Zaheer twice through the covers with beautiful timing. When both McIntosh and Taylor drove a tiring Zaheer for fours soon after, Dhoni took him off and brought back Ishant. McIntosh's attempt to play one with an angled bat found Sehwag at the first of two gullies and though Ryder got off the mark with a fluent square-drive, the pressure was relentless. Munaf gave nothing away, bowling full and straight, but it was Ishant that struck, sending Taylor's off stump flying with a superb delivery that darted back in to brush the pad. James Franklin was sent packing by Simon Taufel, though replays clearly showed that the delivery from Ishant had brushed the back pad and not the bat. But with no referral system in place for the series, New Zealand were suddenly looking at a score of 51 for 5.
India toiled 29 overs without reward after lunch, with the pitch easing out and Vettori riding his luck while also playing some beautiful strokes. Jesse Ryder and Daniel Vettori mounted a face-saving fightback for New Zealand with a century stand. India resumed with Munaf and Ishant, but Ryder was in no mood to submit and played two super drives off Ishant. Harbhajan came on after 31 overs, but he was steady rather than dangerous, with the batsmen content to leave many deliveries outside off stump. Zaheer looked the most likely to break through, but outside edges evaded the slip cordon and Ryder survived a confident shout for leg-before when he had 37.
The hour before tea was all one-way traffic though. Vettori top-edged a pull off Zaheer behind Dhoni to bring up the 100 and a smart clip through midwicket signalled the half-century partnership. Munaf was pulled, clipped and on-driven for fours and Harbhajan smeared through point as Vettori upped the ante. A fortuitous inside-edged four off Munaf took him to his half-century from just 85 balls. Ishant returned for a foray before tea, but a crunching cover-drive from Ryder illustrated just how the momentum had changed. Ryder got to 50 soon after as New Zealand scored 101 in the session.
During the last session both the batsmen were on look-out for singles as they pinched singles in every over. In between the singles there were some sumptuous shots and off the two it was Vettori who was the aggressor while Ryder was content to give the strike back to Vettori. Vettori had driven and swept his way to a polished century from just 138 balls, but when he got the inside edge to a short delivery from Munaf Patel, Mahendra Singh Dhoni took a smart catch diving to his right. Next ball, a searing yorker messed up Kyle Mills' stumps, and it needed some aggressive strokeplay from Ryder to take the total past 250.
Chris Martin survived five balls from Harbhajan Singh after Iain O'Brien had carelessly got himself stumped, and when Ishant Sharma came on to bowl the next over, Ryder played a meaty pull before celebrating joyously. When he skied the next ball to wide mid-on, the innings was over.