India vs New Zealand highlights, 1st Test Day 4: Spirited Kiwis win by 40 runs

The Kiwis have pulled off a sensational win. A spirited effort from the hosts has seen them win by 40 runs to take a 1-0 lead in the two-match series. Follow all the highlights here. (Match Scorecard | Text Commentary | Lunch Report)

 

10.11 (IST): Brendon McCullum on man of the match award: Lot of credit to the other guys for my double ton for putting on partnerships

10.11 (IST): Brendon McCullum on Neil Wagner: Wagner is brilliant. One of those guys never lets an opportunity pass by . Wagner probably turned the game today and he thoroughly deserved his wickets.

10.10 (IST): Brendon McCullum on not enforcing follow on: Continued to back out instincts and went with it. Luckily, it worked for us.

10.09 (IST): Brendon McCullum at the presentation: Lot of belief and fighting characteristics in the team. Wagner was exceptional. It was a great Test match to be a part of.We got a big score in the 1st innings but didn't play as well as we'd have liked in the second.

 

 

10.08 (IST): MS Dhoni at the presentation: Bowlers did well to get us back in the game. We didn' bat well. It was one of the best bowling performance from us in 2nd innings.Great game of cricket. Our bowlers stuck to the plan and it was a fantastic performance. Today, it was important to go for a good start. It was important to break down the day into mini-sessions.Rahane's decision came at a very crucial time

 

09.56 (IST): Neil Wagner: Awesome feeling. One of the best feelings in my career. Enjoyed it fully . Plan was to be patient. With the new ball we knew we'll have a chance.I think early wicket with the new ball was crucial. This Test win is going to remain in my mind for a long time to come.

 

09.52 (IST): Wicketkeeper BJ Watling becomes the first Kiwi stumper to take nine catches in a single match.

09.52 (IST): Its all over folks! New Zealand have beaten India by 40 runs to take a 1-0 lead in the two-match series as Wagner dismisses Ishant Sharma!

09.49 (IST): Drama here! MS Dhoni has played the ball onto his stumps off Wagner! But there is a contention that his back leg touched the side crease when he lands in his bowling stride, which should have been given as a no ball. India 362/9.

09.43 (IST): FACTOID: If India pull off a win, it will be their highest successful run chase in Tests.

09.41 (IST): What a ball from Boult! The bounce takes Dhoni by surprise, who ducks. It flies off his shoulder to the boundary behind the keeper. India 357/8, need 50 runs to win.

09.40 (IST): Counterattack from Dhoni now. He punches one down the ground off Boult. India 352/8, need 54 to win.

09.39 (IST): Zaheer is gone! The Kiwis are back in it! He is caught at slips by Taylor off Wagner. India 349/8, need 58 to win.

09.30 (IST):  Drinks! India are on 346/7, still needing 61 runs to win. Kiwis are three wickets away. Dhoni (28) and Zaheer (16) are keeping the visitors alive.

09.22 (IST): Zaheer drives one through covers and picks up a couple of runs. The Kiwi bowlers can't do much about him here. India 342/7, need 65 to win.

09.15 (IST): SIX! Zaheer swings his bat again! And this time he gets a six behind point. India 337/7.

09.06 (IST): 59 runs and two wickets from seven overs in the final session so far.

09.03 (IST): Zaheer gets a boundary now! He tonks one off Southee behind point. India 329/7.

09.00 (IST): OUT! Oh boy, Jadeja is gone now! The Kiwis swing right back into this game now! Few too many shots from the left-hander as he hit one straight to Ish Sodhi at mid on off Southee. India 324/7.

08.58 (IST): SIX! What a splendid hit from Ravindra Jadeja! He flat bats a short ball over mid-on for a six. India 324/6.

08.53 (IST): McCullum has started to spread his field here. India 315/6, need 92 to win.

08.52 (IST): Counterattack at its very best here! First a short delivery from Southee runs away for four byes and then Jadeja jumps down the track and hits its straight back for a four.

08.47 (IST): Dhoni again! He times the ball well. Straight down the track. 300 comes up for India. 302/6.

08.45 (IST): Dhoni this time! He comes down the track and hits one over mid-wicket for a four. India 296/6.

08.42 (IST): Another one from Jadeja! Short and wide from Southee and he cuts it above the in-field and gets a boundary behind point. India 290/6.

08.40 (IST): What a shot! Jadeja lifts one over mid on off Southee. Looks like these two have decided to go after the bowling. India 286/6.

08.38 (IST): Dhoni gets another one! He cuts it behind point this time!  India 282/6, need 125 to win. Kiwis are four wickets away.

08.36 (IST): A full ball from Boult and MS Dhoni is quick to drive it down the ground for a four. A hint of aggression there from the Indian skipper. Is that a sign of things to come?

08.33 (IST): Ravindra Jadeja walks out and gets off the mark with wonderfully-timed straight drive to the fence. India 274/6.

08.31 (IST): Oh dear! Rohit is gone first ball in the final session. He edges one off Tim Southee to Watling. India 270/6.

08.18 (IST): Second session wrap

 

- An eventful session saw India score 90 runs and the Kiwis pick up three wickets.

 

- Kohli and Dhawan continued their partnership and began to get a few runs going.

 

- Dhawan went on to get his second Test ton and looked set to guide India to a famous win.

 

- Wagner, however, got a breakthrough when Kohli chased a wide one and an underedge carried to wicket-keeper Watling.

 

- After Kohli's fall, Dhawan followed suit when he couldn't entirely get out of the way of a ripper from Wagner, thus, edging it to Watling.

 

- The game was right back in the balance, with two relatively new batsmen at the wicket - Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane.

 

- In the final over before tea, Brendon McCullum took the new ball and Trent Boult struck off the first ball with a spectacular ball that pitched on leg and straightened. The umpire adjudged Rahane out LBW but unfortunately for him, the replays showed that there was a thick inside edge.

 

- At tea, India were 270/5, with Rohit Sharma (19) and MS Dhoni (2) in the middle. India need 137 to win while the Kiwis are five wickets away.

08.11 (IST): TEA TIME! The second session come to an end. India are 270/5 with Rohit Sharma (19) and MS Dhoni (2) in the middle.

08.06 (IST): Boult strikes straightaway with the new ball! Rahane has been given out LBW. The ball pitched on leg stump and straightened. The umpire thought that did enough but replays suggested there was a BIG inside edge on that one. India 268/5. Can this howler be the game changer.

 

08.03 (IST): Sodhi continues to short between a rare full delivery. With two men in the catching position at short cover, Sodhi will have to continue pitching it full to push the batsmen to drive on the up. India 268/4, need 139 runs.

07.57 (IST): Ajinkya Rahane sees a delivery from Ish Sodhi short and wide goes on the backfoot to cut it for four. India 261/4, need 146 to win.

07.47 (IST): That wicket was the reward for a very good spell of bowling from Wagner. He consistently tested Rohit Sharma and kept Dhawan on his toes. The ball that eventually led to Dhawan's ouster was almost unplayable. India 253/4, need 154 to win.

07.44 (IST): BIG, BIG WICKET! Dhawan is gone! Wagner bowls a short ball from round the wicket and Dhawan failed to take full evasive action. He tries to duck but the ball goes to wicketkeeper BJ Watling off his glove. India 248/4.

07.39 (IST): Sodhi returns and bowls from round the wicket to Dhawan. He gets the ball to turn a fair bit and even gets an LBW appeal turned down. India 248/3, need 159 more to win.

07.36 (IST): Rohit is being tested here! Wagner comes round the wicket with an attacking off-side field. He has two men close in at short cover in catching position. Wagner bowls from round the wicket and far outside off-stump and Rohit chases it and takes the aerial route. He is lucky to clear the in-field and the ball falls safely in no-man's land. The following ball is a short-pitched one and Rohit pulls it well behind square for four. India 245/3.

07.25 (IST): Wagner is doing a good job of angling the ball away from the right-handed Rohit Sharma, inviting him to play through the line and induce an edge in the process. Rohit has chased a few and missed in this innings. India 235/3, need 172 to win.

07.04 (IST): The pacers are back in action here. 14 overs to go before the new ball is due. With a new batsman out in the middle, Brendon McCullum will look to get them warmed up and even try and get a wicket before taking the new ball. From India's point of view, this is probably the time to shut shop a bit. They've done their bit of acceleration today and have brought down the target to under 200. With so much time still at their disposal, they should really be looking at seeing off the pacers as well as possible. India 229/3, need 178 runs to win.

06.50 (IST): The onus of taking India through is now on Dhawan. What a time it has come. He had been struggling with form. India 223/3m need 184 more to win.

06.44 (IST): That wicket has given the Kiwis some confidence. Southee comes back and a ripper squares up Rohit Sharma, missing the outside edge by an inch.

06.41 (IST): Virat Kohli is gone! Against the run of play stuff, this! He randomly chases a short ball that was angled away from him and attempts a pull. An underedge carries to BJ Watling behind the stumps. India 222/3.

 

06.33 (IST): Shikhar Dhawan gets his ton! Its his 2nd in Test cricket. He gets it with a cut off Sodhi to the fence. India 209/2.

06.20 (IST): Tim Southee comes round the wicket to left-handed Dhawan and starts off with a bouncer which Dhawan lets go by ducking. India 188/2.

06.13 (IST): Ish Sodhi starts the proceedings in the second session. India 180/2.

05.40 (IST): First session wrap:

 

- An exceptional delivery from Tim Southee got the better of Cheteshwar Pujara early in the first session.

 

- But, since the fall of that wicket, it has been hard work for the Kiwis as Kohli and Dhawan came together to take India forward in the run chase.

 

- The duo negotiated a phase of bowling with the troika of Tim Southee, Trent Boult and Neil Wagner testing them with disciplined performances.

 

- The sun was out early and made things tougher for the pacers with very little swing on offer.

 

- The moment spin was introduced, Kohli and Dhawan took the charge to the opposition. Ish Sodhi started well but a few short deliveries were duly dispatched by Kohli.

- Even Williamson came on towards the end of the session but offered width to Dhawan who gladly obliged and put it away.

 

- India collected 93 runs in the first session for the fall of 1 wicket. Dhawan was unbeaten on 81 while Kohli on 55 at the end of the session. India reached 180/2, still needing 227 runs to win in five sessions.

05.33 (IST): Lunch time! India reach 180/2 at the end of first session on Day 4, need 227 more to win. 93 runs have come off the first session for the loss of 1 wicket.

05.30 (IST): Half-century for Virat Kohli! His ninth in Tests. India 174/2, need 234 runs more to win.

05.25 (IST): Change of ends for Ish Sodhi.

05.13 (IST): Shikhar Dhawan cuts Corey behind point to move to 70. India 154/2, need 253 more to win.

05.10 (IST): Kohli is cranking up the pressure on the Kiwis here. He collects two back-to-back fours off Ish Sodhi -- one over deep mid-wicket and one through covers-- to bring up the 150 for the team. Kohli also moves into the 40s. India 150/2.

05.01 (IST): After a very good passage of play with Dhawan and Kohli doing well against the trio of Boult, Southee and Wagner, spin has come in. Ish Sodhi introduced.

04.56 (IST): Corey Anderson comes into the attack. India 131/2

04.49 (IST): Four! Kohli pierces the gap between two fielders in catching position at cover.India 129/2

04.48 (IST): FACTOID: Only on 12 occasions in Tests, a team has scored 500 in 1st innings and lost the game.

04.28 (IST): Back-to-back boundaries for Virat Kohli! He first plays one through covers and then pulls one behind square to move to double figures. India 121/2

04.22 (IST): Top class bowling from Southee and Wagner here. Conditions not doing much for them but they've kept it very tight, not allowing Kohli and Dhawan to get easy runs. The Indian duo has also hanged in there so far. India 112/2.

03.59 (IST): 100 up for India! Southee bowls a steep bouncer that Kohli lets go and Watling fails to reach even with a jump. It runs away to the fence behind the keeper. India 102/2.

03.53 (IST): Neil Wagner comes into the attack.

03.50 (IST): Tim Southee strikes! Pujara is gone! What a ripper-of-a-delivery! It is on the off-stump and swings away from Pujara and squares him up to take the outside edge and carry straight to BJ Watling. India 96/2.

03.45 (IST): Trent Boult angles it across to Dhawan and the left-hander is happy to flick it away through mid-wicket. Interesting to see what the Kiwi tactics will be now. There is hardly any swing happening and the sun is out as well. India 95/1.

03.33 (IST): Fifty for Shikhar Dhawan! A quick single brings up the landmark for the Indian batsman. India 88/1.

03.30 (IST): Tim Southee starts the proceedings with three slips and a gully in place. He bowls to Dhawan, who is on 49. India 87/1, need 320 runs to win.

03.23 (IST): A fascinating day of cricket beckons here. India need to get their eye in and negotiate the early conditions conducive to the Kiwi pacers. New Zealand need a couple of early wickets to give themselves a chance to clinching a win today.

Patience will be key for India to pull off a miracle: Sunil Gavaskar

Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar, who epitomized technique and temperament during his batting days, has advised the Team India to be patient in their approach against New Zealand on Day 4 of the Auckland Test. The visitors, who were bundled out for 202 in their first innings, were 87 for one at stumps in their second innings in their chase of a formidable 407-run target on a flat Eden Park track. The hosts were bowled out for 105 in their second innings. India require a further 320 runs for victory in the remaining two days with nine wickets in hand. Shikhar Dhawan (unbeaten 49) and Cheteshwar Pujara (unbeaten 22) are well set with an unfinished 51-run stand.

"Time is in India's favour as they have two full days to finish off the match. Indian batsmen will have to be patient in their approach and take each ball as it comes," Sunil Gavaskar told NDTV in an exclusive chat from Auckland on Saturday.

The odds favour New Zealand, though India, with no time pressure, would hold out hope of pulling off a remarkable victory after having trailed by 301 runs on first innings. Only two teams in Test history have successfully chased more than 400 in a fourth innings - the West Indies' 418-7 against Australia in 2003 and South Africa's 414-4 against Australia in 2008.

If India do manage to a sensational win, it will be their first test win overseas after 2 and a half years. Dhoni's men won their last Test away from home at Kingston, when they beat the West Indies by 63 runs in June 2011. After that tour of the Caribbean, they went on to lose eight straight overseas Tests against England and Australia before avoiding a ninth consecutive defeat in the stunningly-drawn game in Johannesburg on the South Africa tour in December. (Read more)

We still have upper hand,  says NZ pacer Neil Wagner

New Zealand bowler Neil Wagner on Saturday said that the hosts will not be hitting the panic button just yet as they are confident of taking remaining Indian wickets needed for victory in the first Test, here. At stumps on day three, India were 87 for one, still needing 320 runs for a win, after bundling out the Black Caps for just 105 runs in their second innings. This was after India had replied with only 202 to hosts' first innings score of 503.

"It's a bit of a bitter-sweet day. We started off really well with the ball this morning and it was a great result to get them out for the score we did. Obviously, the batting after that really wasn't ideal stuff but at the end of the day, we are pretty happy with where we are," said Wagner.

"There are still a lot of runs on the board left to get and if we bowl well, we can get the nine wickets if we start off well tomorrow morning. It doesn't look like an ideal scenario but at the start of the game, we would have taken this any day," the left-arm pacer said. (Read more)

Zaheer praises 'match-winner' Mohd Shami

Speedster Zaheer Khan on Saturday lauded his junior team-mate Mohammed Shami for his fiery spell on the third day of the first cricket Test against New Zealand, saying he is a "match-winner" for Team India.

Shami put on display a fine exhibition of swing and seam bowling to take 3/37 and help bundle out the hosts for a paltry 105 in their second innings.

"He's a great prospect for Team India and has had some brilliant performances. There is no doubt in my mind that he is a match-winner. That is the way I look at him. A good bowler has this quality to take wickets in bunches, that is what defines a good bowler, and Shami has shown that quality. With experience he is only going to get better," Zaheer said at the post-match presser here.

"It was a brilliant performance from all the bowlers. As a bowling unit, we clicked together. The important thing was that we had some brilliant catching as well in the slip cordon and that was very crucial and it really made the difference," he added. (Read more)