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NZ rally to 69/2 after India post 487

New Zealand had reached 69 for 2 at close on the second day of the first Test against New Zealand at Ahmedabad on Friday in reply to India’s 487.

Brendon McCullum (38) and Ross Taylor (18) stitched together 42 runs for the 3^rd wicket after the visitors had slumped to 27 for 2 at the start of their innings. Zaheer Khan had Tim McIntosh caught behind by MS Dhoni for a duck with the score at 8 for 1 and Pragyan Ojha bowled Bradley Watling for 6 soon after.

Earlier, India were bowled out for 487 at the stroke of tea. That score represented something of a recovery after the hosts lost a spate of wickets either side of the lunch interval to slump to 412 for 8 from 383 for 3. Harbhajan Singh struck a career-best 69, his 8^th Test fifty but his first in 11 matches, adding 66 crucial runs for the ninth wicket with fellow spinner Pragyan Ojha, who was trapped lbw by off-spinner Jeetan Patel, who finished with 3/135.

Fans expecting some Diwali fireworks from the Indian batsmen were in for a big disappointment as the hosts, resuming at their overnight score of 329 for 3, laboured for runs throughout the morning. Off-spinner Jeetan Patel dismissed overnight batsmen Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman for identical scores of 40 with debutant Kane Williamson scalping Suresh Raina for 3. Worse followed after lunch as skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, running a fever, was caught at forward short leg by his New Zealand counterpart Daniel Vettori for 10 and Zaheer Khan fell almost immediately afterwards for 1 to the same bowler. Vettori, who also dismissed Harbhajan, finished with 4 for 118 in his 100^th Test for New Zealand, claiming his 100^th Test wicket as captain in the process.