New Zealand vs India 2nd Test, highlights: Ajinkya Rahane stars to put visitors on top after Day 2

Team India took a firm grip over the Wellington Test on Day 2, courtesy Ajinkya Rahane. Catch all the highlights from the day's play, as they happened here (Live Scorecard | Text Commentary | Match Report)

FACTOID: MS Dhoni equals Brian Lara's feat of hitting most sixes (49) by a captain in Test history.

 

11:03 (IST) It's stumps and New Zealand are 24 for 1, trailing by a huge 222-run margin in the second innings. This after India were all out for 438 in the first innings thanks to a maiden ton from Ajinkya Rahane. (Day 2 in pics)

10:51 (IST) A touch short from Shami and Rutherford latches onto it, cuts it past point for four.

10:43 (IST) Hamish Rutherford shows his talent! A half-volley from Zaheer and Rutherford just caresses it through the extra cover all along the carpet for four. NZ 9/1, trail India by 237.

10:37 (IST) FACTOID: The last time India secured a 200-plus lead in the first innings outside the subcontinent was in Hamilton, 2008-09.

10:30 (IST) WICKET! Zaheer Khan gets one to nip back a touch and Peter Fulton, shoulders arms to that only for the ball to strike the front pad. Umpire Steve Davis thinks for a moment and raises the finger. NZ 1/1 (1.3 overs), trail by 245.

10:24 (IST) Staring at a massive 246-run deficit, the Kiwi openers have made their way into the middle. Ishant Sharma will bowl to Peter Fulton.

 

India are 438 all out with Ajinkya Rahane (118) top scoring and Shikhar Dhawan (98) missing out on a second successive ton. Dhoni (68) reached a fifty after 14 innings. Tim Southee, Trent Boult and Neil Wagner take 3 wickets each.

10:15 (IST) WICKET! After few lusty hits, Zaheer Khan is last man out for 22 as he went for an across the line slog, only to get a faint edge and keeper BJ Watling makes no mistakes. Neil Wagner ends up with three wickets.

10:08 (IST) WICKET! An incredible catch to end an incredible innings! Ajinkya Rahane takes the aerial route but mistimes it, Trent Boult running in from sweeper cover, dives to his right and takes a super one-handed catch. Rahane falls to Southee for 118. India 423/9.

10:02 (IST) SIX! Big hit from Ajinkya Rahane, who goes for a pull off Wagner and it goes deep over square leg fence.

09:56 (IST) Rahane now toying with Anderson! First he flicks him high and handsome over mid-wicket, next ball, he drives him inside out over covers for four.

09:53 (IST) CENTURY! Big moment for Ajinkya Rahane, who reaches his maiden Test ton with a pull off Corey Anderson to mid-wicket fence. Rahane reaches it in 149 balls with the help of 15 fours.

09:45 (IST) Rahane gets streaky four off Anderson and equals his best score (96*).

09:39 (IST) WICKET! Ravindra Jadeja is out, caught by Peter Fulton at 2nd slip off Neil Wagner. Jadeja made quickfire 26 from 16 balls. India 385/8, lead by 193.

09:30 (IST) Jadeja gets consecutive fours, off Boult. First he nicely punched a full ball past mid-off for four, next ball, he slashes hard over the slips and gets four. India 373/3, lead by 181.

09:27 (IST) Ravindra Jadeja goes for the pull, and gets four off James Neesham. India 364/7, lead by 172.

09:15 (IST) WICKET! MS Dhoni (68 off 86b) is out, caught behind down the leg side. Boutl bowled it short and Dhoni tried to tickle it past the keeper but got a glove and was taken by Watling. India 348/7, lead by 156.

09:08 (IST) Rahane shows his class here, Boult bowling from round the stumps, bowled it just short enough outside off stump to cut and Rahane went for it, piercing the gap between gully and backward point. India 347/6, lead by 155.

08:58 (IST) Dhoni smashes Neesham over long-on for another four. India 342/6, lead by 150.

08:53 (IST) A streaky four for Dhoni this time, who plays Southee a little early and gets a thickish outside edge and it goes third man for four.

08:49 (IST) Dhoni with another upper cut and gets four off Southee. The 100 of the partnership is up.

08:42 (IST) 29th fifty for Dhoni! Typical Dhoni-style cricket, converting the ones into twos and reaching the half-century in 64 balls.

08:40 (IST) SIX! MS Dhoni goes downtown and lofts Southee over long-off for six.

08:35 (IST) Rahane threads the thinnest of gaps between extra cover and mid-off to get four off Trent Boult.

08:15 (IST) That's tea time and India are well placed at 301/6 with a 109-run lead. Rahane is going well at 64* and giving him company is MS Dhoni on 39*. India scored 100 runs in the second session for the loss of Virat Kohli's wicket.

08:10 (IST) A streaky four to Rahane gives India 100-run lead.

08:01 (IST) Dhoni attacks Boult! New ball or old ball, Dhoni steps out and thrashes the bowler through cover point for four.

07:59 (IST) Second new ball has been taken straightaway, Trent Boult will use it first.

07:51 (IST) Third fifty for Ajinkya Rahane! Rahane pushes one through point for single and gets a well deserved fifty, his first vs NZ. India 279/6, lead by 87.

 

07:44 (IST) Dhoni brings out the upper cut, this time off James Neesham and gets four past backward point. India 276/6, lead by 84.

07:39 (IST) Rahane is batting with a slightly open stance while facing left-arm seamers from over the wicket. Dhoni and Rahane have added 41 runs in 47 balls and Kiwis are in desperate need of a wicket. India 269/6, lead by 77. Four overs to go for the second new ball.

07:24 (IST) After rollicking start, Dhoni is trying to play himself in by picking the ones and twos on offer.

07:14 (IST) MS Dhoni means business straightaway! Dhoni tries to unsettle Neil Wagner by hitting the left-arm seamer for four consecutive fours. India 252/6 (71 overs), lead by 60. 

07:07 (IST) Rahane is unflinched with that fall of wicket and presents the full face of the bat to James Neesham and gets four past mid-on.

06:59 (IST) WICKET! Virat Kohli c Hamish Rutherford b Neil Wagner 38 (93 balls). Wagner continued with the line outside off and Kohli got sucked into playing the drive, a sharp catch taken by Rutherford at short cover. India 228/6, lead by 36.

06:55 (IST) Kiwi bowlers bowling hostile stuff. Right-arm fast bowler James Neesham keeping it short of length, left-arm pacer Neil Wagner is bowling from round the stumps and cramping the two right handers for room.

06:45 (IST) After two quiet overs, Wagner gets Rahane to edge one and it flies between second slip and gully for four. India 221/5, lead by 29.

06:32 (IST) Kohli, Rahane bring up 50-run stand to resurrect India from a tricky 165/5.

06:18 (IST) Ajinkya Rahane gets a streaky four, tries to go for a push but gets a thickish outside edge off James Neesham and it goes past gully for four.

06:10 (IST) Players making their way out in the middle for the second session. Corey Anderson to bowl to Virat Kohli.

06:00 (IST) Here is Shikhar Dhawan's wagonwheel, showing where all he scored the runs in his knock of 98:

 

05:44 (IST) FACTOID: Kiwi wicket-keeper BJ Watling is the only keeper in Test history to have 50-plus dismissals without having a single stumping to his name. Watling caught Dhawan, Vijay and Ishant in the Indian innings.

05:32 (IST) It's lunch and India are 201/5, leading by 9 runs. Kohli 27* given good company by Rahane 22*. Earlier Shikhar Dhawan missed out on a third career ton and fell for 98. The visitors have added 101 runs and lost 3 wickets in the first session today, including the nightwatchman ishant. Tim Southee, Trent Boult have taken two wickets each, while debutant James Neesham struck once.

05:25 (IST) Ajinkya Rahane punches one off Neil Wagner to get four through the covers. Classic back-foot shot from Rahane. India 199/5, lead by 7.

05:21 (IST) India go into lead as Rahane punches this one through extra cover for three. India 195/5 (53 overs), lead by 3.

05:18 (IST) Brilliant timing by Virat Kohli, who flicks it hard through mid-wicket off Neil Wagner. The scores are level.

 

05:12 (IST) Rahane gets it another four, nicely placed wide of gully for four off Trent Boult. A valiant dive from Corey Anderson at the third-man fence but the ball wins the race.

04:56 (IST) Ajinkya Rahane gets off the mark with two fours off James Neesham. India 179/5, trail by 13.

04:48 (IST) WICKET! Rohit Sharma (0) plays on to his stumps as James Neesham bags his first Test wicket. India 165/5, trail by 27.

04:41 (IST) FACTOID: Shikhar Dhawan failed to register back-to-back hundreds in New Zealand. He would have become the second Indian to do so after Rahul Dravid, who scored two hundreds at Hamilton in 1999.

04:35 (IST) WICKET! Shikhar Dhawan misses out on a hundred, falls for 98 off 127 balls. He hit 14 fours and a six. Southee rolls his fingers across this one and Dhawan goes for a drive and gets the edge only for BJ Watling to take a regulation catch behind the stumps. India 162/4, trail by 30.

04:27 (IST) Virat Kohli brings out the off drive, a class shot off Corey Anderson for four through mid-off. India 158/3 (42 overs), trail by 34.

04:22 (IST) Shikhar Dhawan enters the 90s with a brilliant cover drive off Southee that hits the boundary skirting at the deep extra cover fence.

04:15 (IST) FACTOID: Ishant's 26 today is his best score as a nightwatchman. Previous best - 23 vs South Africa at Centurion in 2010 at No.4.

04:09 (IST) WICKET! Ishant goes and a big relief for the Kiwis! Trent Boult bowled it full outside off, Ishant goes for a drive, gets a thick edge and keeper BJ Watling takes a good diving catch to his right. Ishant made 26 and shared a handy 52-run stand with Dhawan.

04:00 (IST) Ishant Sharma has managed to survive the first thirty minutes of play this morning with ease. Off Trent Boult, the lanky right-hander hit back-to-back fours - one between 2nd slip and 3rd slip, second a nice glance past fine-leg. India 132/2, trail by 60.

03:50 (IST) The Kiwis have bowled much straighter to Shikhar Dhawan today, not giving him room.

03:40 (IST) Shikhar Dhawan gets into business! After two neat flicks either side of mid-wicket for a couple of twos, the left-hander drills Tim Southee straight past mid-on for four, the first boundary of the day. India 108/2, trail by 84.

03:34 (IST) Good start by Boult, a maiden to start with. Ishant not looking overtly subdued with the bat.

03:28 (IST) Players making their way into the middle. Trent Boult to start Day 2's proceedings to Ishant Sharma.

India are in a strong position with Shikhar Dhawan looking good on 71. If he continues in the same vein, the visitors could go on to build a sizeable lead. (Day 1 full report)

Indian seamer Ishant Sharma used the green-top conditions to maximum use as he registered his fifth five-wicket haul, a career-best 6 for 51 on Day 1 of the second Test against New Zealand at the Basin Reserve in Wellington. The lanky bowler carried forward his brilliant form of the first Test at Auckland, where he recorded his second-best match figures of 9 for 162. He is by far the most successful bowler in the series with 15 wickets so far. (Ishant Sharma records best figures)

Kane Williamson top-scored for the Kiwis with 47 and credited the Indian bowlers for using the conditions to their advantage. (Kane Williamson praises Indian attack)

Ishant Sharma maintained that he was still pretty much the same bowler that troubled Ricky Ponting seven years ago when India toured Australia. He also took a dig at the selectors saying that he is always dropped from important tournaments. (I am the same bowler who bowled to Ponting: Ishant)