India in box seat for New Zealand series win

India took a big step towards winning their first Test series in New Zealand since 1968 after racking up a 233-run lead early in their second innings of the third Test here on Saturday. India were on 51 for one at stumps on the second day after dismissing New Zealand for 197 in reply to the tourists' first innings total of 379.
Pace bowler Zaheer Khan did most of the damage to New Zealand, taking five for 65 with a mixture of swinging full pitched balls and a barrage of shorter deliveries. New Zealand batsman Ross Taylor, who top-scored with 42, paid tribute to Khan, saying the 30-year-old opening bowler seemed more venomous than usual in taking his seventh five-wicket haul.
"He had an extra yard on him - looking up at the screen it was his normal speed but he bent his back and hurried the batsmen up a little bit," Taylor said. "He bowled extremely well. Offspinner Harbhajan Singh was another of India's heroes, bowling 23 consecutive overs at a scoring rate of less than two an over to end with three for 43.
Wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni played a captain's role, taking six catches behind the stumps to support his bowlers on a Basin Reserve pitch which offered more bounce than the flat deck in the drawn second match in Napier. New Zealand's plan late Friday as India's innings came near an end had been to bat for a day and a half to build a lead that could set them up for a series squaring victory.
The Kiwis had renewed confidence after drawing the second Test in the wake of their 10-wicket drubbing in the first match, but their plans unravelled soon after their opening batsmen came to the crease. Taylor admitted the odds were against New Zealand turning the match around but added there was still hope. "If we can come out tomorrow and knock off three or four wickets early on then we give ourselves a big sniff," he said.
"It's very difficult, but we have to have a positive frame of mind into tomorrow. "There's going to have to be a lot of things go our way but if we get any turn up tomorrow and get some early wickets we are a chance." There were only limited signs of resistance from New Zealand, mostly from Taylor before he was given out caught behind by umpire Daryl Harper. An attempted leg glance off Harbhajan ended in Dhoni's gloves and Harper's finger went up.
While replays suggested Taylor did not get bat on ball, the batsman admitted later he had got a faint nick. Opening batsman Tim McIntosh made a scratchy 32 before he was surprised by a rising short ball from Khan, which ballooned off the top of his bat to Yuvraj Singh at first slip. Soon after lunch, New Zealand found themselves struggling at 80-3 and many hopes rested on burly batsman Jesse Ryder, the hero of the second Test with a double century that followed hard on the heels of a century in the series opener.
Ryder's naturally aggressive instincts have been tempered since his introduction to Test cricket in October last year. But in a lapse of concentration he took a wild swipe at a short pitched Khan ball, sending a simple edge to Dhoni after scoring just three. India extended their lead in their second innings with Gautam Gambhir unbeaten at stumps on 28 and Rahul Dravid not out on nine.
Typically aggressive opener Virender Sehwag was the only wicket to fall, caught by Taylor at first slip after a short ball from Chris Martin seamed into him and ballooned off his glove. Sehwag hit two consecutive fours off Martin before falling for 12 off just seven balls.
On Friday India had recovered from 204 for six shortly after tea on the first day to reach 375 for nine at stumps. But the final pairing of Ishant Sharma and Munaf Patel could only add another four runs on Saturday morning. Sharma fell to pace bowler Martin, who finished with four for 98 from his 25.1 overs.
SCOREBOARD
INDIA 1ST INNINGS: 379 (S. Tendulkar 62, M.S. Dhoni 52, H. Singh 60; Martin 4-98, O'Brien 2-89).

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New Zealand 1st innings

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T. McIntosh c Y. Singh b Khan             32

M. Guptill b Khan                         17

D. Flynn c Dhoni b Khan                    2

R. Taylor c Dhoni b Harbhajan             42

J. Ryder c Dhoni b Khan                    3

J. Franklin c Sehwag b Harhajan           15

B. McCullum c Dhoni b Harbhajan           24

D. Vettori c Dhoni b Sharma               11

T. Southee c and b Khan                   16

I. O'Brien c Dhoni b Patel                19

C. Martin not out                          4

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Extras: (b 9, lb 3)                       12

Total: (all out; 65 overs)               197

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Fall of wickets: 1-21, 2-31, 3-80, 4-98, 5-120, 6-125, 7-138, 8-160, 9-181, 10-197
Bowling: Zaheer Khan 18-2-65-5, Sharma 14-3-47-1, Patel 8-2-20-1, Harbhajan Singh 23-4-43-3, Yuvraj Singh 2-0-10-0

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India 2nd innings

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G. Ghambir not out                        28

V. Sehwag c Taylor b Martin               12

R. Dravid not out                          9

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Extras: (lb 2)                             2

Total: (1 wickets; 16 overs)              51

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