By Matt Munford
SIMON DOULL claimed seven wickets to put New Zealand in control of the second Test as India were bundled out for 208 on the opening day.
Indian captain Mohammad Azharuddin smashed a superb century but was left stranded on 103 not out as Doull, ruled out of the abandoned first Test with an injured calf muscle, marked his return with figures of seven for 65.
Matthew Horne and Stephen Fleming guided New Zealand to stumps on 52 for one - Venkatesh Prasad claiming India's only success by having Matthew Bell caught for four.
Doull produced a burst of four wickets for seven runs in 27 balls as the tourists slumped to 16 for four.
However, Azharuddin and Sachin Tendulkar treated a 9,000-plus crowd to some exhilarating batting as they repaired the early damage. But Doull struck again after lunch to make Tendulkar (47) his next victim and he also dismissed Nayan Mongia and Anil Kumble.
Doull had given the Kiwis a flying start by removing opener Navjot Sidhu and Rahul Dravid for ducks. Vice-captain Ajay Jadeja (10) and left-hander Saurav Ganguly (five) were Doull's other victims in a dynamic opening spell.
Azharuddin, whose first two scoring shots were boundaries, raced to his 21st century in 210 minutes. He described Doull's effort as ``tremendous'', adding: ``The wicket did a bit in the first hour and a half. I give credit to Simon who bowled very well.
``I think when you bowl like that there isn't much one could do. No complaints. They all got out to good balls.''
Day 3: Nash matches Lord's best to tip the balance
By D J Rutnagur in Wellington
NEW ZEALAND'S position of strength after two days of riveting cricket in the second Test against India - they are 82 runs ahead with three first-innings wickets standing - is a warning to England, who play host to them this summer. They are not a glamorous, star-studded team, but they are self-confident and resilient.
Having lost the toss, they had India almost poleaxed at 16 for four and they interrupted the first stage of their revival by removing the redoubtable Sachin Tendulkar before India passed the three-figure mark with a breathtaking catch at square leg by Matthew Bell, making his debut. From 99 for six, India rallied again to finish on 208, thanks to a glittering 103 not out by Mohammad Azharuddin, with brave support from the tail.
But New Zealand were not undermined by the loss of momentum. They worked assiduously to build a sound total in reply, having at times to contend with high class bowling by Javagal Srinath and Anil Kumble.
At one stage, New Zealand lost three wickets in 10 overs for 17 runs and then just before tea Kumble prised out Astle who, entrenched for upwards of three hours, had held the innings together. He was seventh out and at that juncture the scores were level.
India were nowhere near claiming another wicket in the last session during which Dion Nash, whose unbeaten 56 equalled his previous best Test score - at Lord's in a match in which he also took 11 wickets - and Daniel Vettori added 81 runs.
Rather than be curbed by the second new ball, the pair used it to score at speed. Srinath, whose figures belied his menace, peppered them with balls dug in short, but the tail-enders were unconcerned.
The three bowlers on whom India rely so heavily, Srinath, Venkatesh Prasad and Kumble, had done enough by the time they were confronted by Nash and Vettori. Their workload would have been smaller had two chances not been missed in the morning and extended a gritty innings by opener Matthew Horne.
On Boxing Day, Stephen Fleming lost his 13th toss in 16 matches. Any cause for despair at his poor luck was removed by Simon Doull, who swung the ball devastatingly to seize the first seven Indian wickets to fall.
Day 3: Versatile Tendulkar to the rescue for India
By D J Rutnagur in Wellington
IT WAS not just because of Sachin Tendulkar's unbeaten 42, made in the manner of a true master, that India remained in contention in the second Test against New Zealand at Wellington, for he had done his bit as a bowler by ending a record eighth-wicket stand between Dion Nash and Daniel Vettori.
Nash and Vettori, undefeated overnight, put on 137 to surpass by one run the previous best stand against all-comers. The figure represented all but seven runs of New Zealand's lead on the first innings.
Only once, midway through yesterday morning, did India come close to separating them when Vettori, right back on his stumps, survived an lbw appeal by off-spinner Harbhajan Singh.
When 20 minutes remained for lunch, Mohammed Azharuddin seemed to have no recourse but to call on Tendulkar, not easy to place into any category of bowler. Holding the ball seam up, he once dismissed Mark Taylor and Allan Border for very little at Adelaide. There was also an occasion when the grand patriarch, Richie Benaud, said to him: ``Young man, you should take your leg-breaks more seriously.''
However, his weapon yesterday was off-spin. Operating from round the wicket, he had Vettori missed at first slip in his first over, and in his third the same batsman, confused by the various angles at which Tendulkar attacked at him, was bowled from behind his legs.
Tendulkar also claimed Paul Wiseman to hasten the end of the innings after lunch. Nash, who never gave the semblance of a chance, was 11 short of his hundred when he ran out of partners.
In view of the comfort with which New Zealand's numbers eight and nine batted for the best part of four hours, it was surprising to hear New Zealand's captain say at the end of the day that he would be optimistic of winning if his side were asked to make 200, or thereabouts.
However, India - with Ajay Jadeja and Rahul Dravid getting themselves out with wanton shots - contrived to lose three wickets before the deficit was wiped out. Craig McMillan, at medium pace, thought he could intimidate Tendulkar into surrender with a series of short-pitched balls and a dose of sledging.
Tendulkar took it all as a bull mastiff would the barking of a hysterical chihuahua and proceeded to play a series of breathtaking strokes, none more so than a front-footed square cut off Wiseman, a shot from an era long gone by.
Day 4: Tendulkar puts India in the hunt
By D J Rutnagur in Wellington
NEW ZEALAND versus India at Basin Reserve may not be an issue of equal importance to an Ashes battle at the MCG, but the second Test here, after two furious swings of fortune yesterday, was poised to finish just as excitingly.
It was a volatile second innings of 113 from Sachin Tendulkar that kept India - 144 runs behind after the first innings - in the contest. New Zealand's final target of 213, with four wickets down and 140 runs still to score, will be a strain to achieve.
The true worth of Tendulkar's innings was in his speedy acquisition of runs. When he arrived at his 17th Test century off 123 balls, only 62 runs had come from his partners at the crease.
His dismissal after the interval proved to be a turning point. With the second new ball, Dion Nash got one to bounce higher than Tendulkar expected and, in lashing out with a cut, he was caught at first slip.
Then India lost two more wickets in the next 18 balls, including that of Mohamed Azharuddin, who was unlucky to be given out caught behind for 48, the ball deflecting off the pad. Once Tendulkar had gone, the five remaining wickets went for just 59 runs.
When New Zealand's second innings began, there was enough resilience remaining in the pitch for Srinath to have Matthew Bell caught at short leg and, later, to deal a blow on the top hand of Nathan Astle which resulted in a fractured bone and his retirement. Astle will bat again only if absolutely necessary, and will be out of action for four weeks.
Matthew Horne and Stephen Fleming shared a promising partnership of 42, but Kumble removed Fleming and shortly afterwards Astle made his unfortunate exit. Horne then fell lbw to Kumble and Adam Parore was run out after a great stop and return by Rahul Dravid at short leg.
Day 5: Cairns calms N Zealand
By D J Rutnagur in Wellington
THE DENOUEMENT to the second Test, at Basin Reserve, in which New Zealand beat India by four wickets shortly after lunch on the final day, was not in keeping with the tumultuous events of the first four days when neither side could keep the intiative for longer than a session.
However, to describe the final act as flat would be insulting to the two characters who occupied centre stage for most of the morning and all but settled the issue with a partnership of 137, the stocky and combative Craig McMillan and the flamboyant all-rounder Chris Cairns.
Their calm and positive approach in bridging a substantial gap belied the grim situation which brought them together in the first over of the day - 74 for five, with Nathan Astle disabled by a fracture in his left hand. ``One big partnership is all we need,'' had been the captain's call at the previous night's team meeting. McMillan and Cairns answered it with innings of 74 not out and 61 respectively, staying together until Cairns spooned what he intended to be the winning hit.
This triumph, which puts New Zealand one up in the series of three, was their fourth win in six Test matches. ``We are developing well as a side,'' said their captain, Stephen Fleming. A good test before they come to England next summer will be a home series against South Africa starting at the end of February.
If any side held the edge at the start of play, it was India. But they lacked the fire and efficiency in the field to press home their advantage - albeit a small one. Their captain, Mohamed Azharuddin, a stag in the field in his youth, said: ``We didn't cut off the singles and we couldn't stop the fours. We also dropped catches.''
Azharuddin did not comment on the quality of the bowling at his command, but his views were made clear by the fact that he relied on Javagal Srinath and Anil Kumble to finish off the job. Of the 30 overs bowled yesterday, these two delivered all but nine.
There was an Englishman who distinguished himself in this match, the Basin's groundsman, Trevor Jackson, who did a long apprenticeship at Uxbridge and then a three-year stint at Guildford before he immigrated. Both captains described his product as ``a good cricket wicket''. True to Jackson's prediction, batsmen and bowlers had their moments, the match lasted five days and produced a result. Most important, the crowd was kept enthralled.