India's Tendulkar blocking New Zealand's shot at victory

India trailed by 144 on the first innings but the deficit was wiped off before stumps on the third day Monday with Tendulkar and Saurav Ganguly feasting on the New Zealand slow bowlers.

India were 179 for three at stumps, with Ganguly on 47 and Tendulkar stalking the crease on 42 not out, a knock including a six and six fours.

New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming was helpless to stop the flow of runs in the final session as the Indian pair dispatched spinners Paul Wiseman and Daniel Vettori to the boundary.

Fleming acknowledged a breakthrough was vital Tuesday morning if New Zealand were going to be in a position to press for victory.

``We need a big session first up tomorrow. The game is so finely balanced now,'' Fleming said.

``They fought back in the final session. They played well, but we expected that to an extent. If we can take two or three quick wickets in the morning and then be left chasing 150 or 200 then it could be the perfect test match,'' he said.

Wiseman was the sixth bowler used by Fleming, and he struck in his first over when he bowled Rahul Dravid off his pads for 28.

He should have had a second wicket in his next over but Matthew Horne dropped Ganguly on 22 at mid-off.

However, Tendulkar was in no mood to be dominated and he immediately went after the inexperienced offspinner.

He chipped him over mid-wicket for his first boundary and then lifted him high over long-off for six. Wiseman was taken out of the attack after conceding 38 runs from his eight overs.

Vettori was milked for 44 runs off 10 overs, but Fleming was still pinning his hopes on the spinners in Tuesday's decisive fourth day.

``We have to face the fact that they are probably the best players in the world of spin and sometimes they can play so well that they can play you out of the game,'' Fleming said.

``We just have to make sure we support Dan (Vettori) and Paul Wiseman and if the chance comes we are ready to take it,'' he said.

India were perilously placed at 112 for three when Dravid was bowled off his pads.

Openers Ajay Jadeja and Navjot Sidhu had both made promising starts but failed to go on. Sidhu and Dravid played out seven consecutive maidens late in the middle session before Sidhu smashed two sixes off Vettori in the last over before tea.

However, two balls after the break Simon Doull took his eighth wicket of the match when he trapped Sidhu leg before wicket for 34.

Doull and Nash, who dismissed Jadeja, were the pick of the New Zealand bowlers, but once again Chris Cairns was out of sorts and conceded 47 runs from his 11 overs.

Indian captain Mohammad Azharuddin felt the initiative had swung back towards his team and a good session Tuesday could set them up for victory.

``I would rather be in my camp then theirs,'' Azharuddin said.

``But we must bat well tomorrow morning and hopefully we can get in a position to set them 300 on the last day and hopefully our two spinners and Sachin can bowl us to a win.''

Tendulkar also starred with the ball Monday when he ended the record-breaking eighth-wicket partnership between Dion Nash and Vettori.

Five minutes before lunch Vettori exposed his leg stump and was bowled by Tendulkar for 57.

Vettori's dismissal ended a 137-run partnership for the eighth wicket which bettered the previous best New Zealand mark of 103 against India set by Richard Hadlee and Ian Smith in Auckland in 1990.

It also eclipsed the best against all countries of 136 set by Bevan Congdon and Bob Cunis against the West Indies in Port of Spain in 1972.

Nash and Vettori batted cautiously in the first session and Vettori in particular survived some anxious moments. Their 100 partnership took 153 minutes and 238 balls and in total they batted 238 minutes together.

Wiseman and Doull went for the addition of only seven more runs, leaving Nash stranded on 89.