New Zealand 24 for 0 and 94 (Zaheer 5-30) need 136 runs to beat India 99 and 154 all out (Dravid 39; Tuffey 4-41, Oram 4-41)
Scorecard

Twenty-two wickets fell in 98.2 overs in a bizarre day of Test cricket. At the end of it all, New Zealand had a target of 160 to chase for a 2-0 series win, and by close of play, they had pruned it down by 24.

The pitch provided plenty of assistance to the seamers all day, but that can only partially explain a strike rate of four-and-a-half overs per wicket. Whittled out for 99 in their first innings, India hit back strongly through Zaheer Khan, who finished with his second five-for of the series, to bundle New Zealand out for 94, making it the first time in the history of Test cricket that both first innings had produced sub-100 totals.

India were well and truly back in the match, but then followed another batting collapse, as Daryl Tuffey and Jacob Oram took four apiece to send India packing for 154. Mark Richardson and Lou Vincent then survived a testing spell from the Indian new-ball bowlers, especially Tinu Yohannan, who beat the bat on numerous occasions.

Through all the mayhem in the Indian second innings, Rahul Dravid (39) stood firm in another exceptional display of technique and mental fortitude. He came to the crease in the fourth over, after India's experiment with Parthiv Patel at the top of the order failed, and stayed there till the 38th in making the highest score of the match so far.

The only period of play when the bat dominated was during Sachin Tendulkar's partnership with Dravid. They came together after India lost the openers cheaply again – Parthiv played on for a fourth-ball duck, suffering the ignominy of being dismissed twice in seven balls in the same day, while Bangar lobbed a return catch to Tuffey for 7 (8 for 2).

Then came the 49-run stand. Tendulkar played by far his most convincing knock of the series, middling everything from the first ball and stroking some breathtaking shots, none better than a gorgeous square-drive on his knees off Shane Bond.

India seemed to have wrested the initiative, when Tuffey induced a fatal false stroke from Tendulkar. Attempting a drive on the up – a stroke that was conducive to a flat track, not one where the ball seamed around – he inside-edged it and heard the rattle of stumps which announced that a promising innings had been nipped in the bud.

The technical deficiencies in Sourav Ganguly's and VVS Laxman's batting were cruelly exposed once again, and the move to demote Virender Sehwag to No. 7 succeeded to the extent of his biffing 25 from 18 balls in a sixth-wicket partnership to which Dravid didn't contribute a single run. It was exciting cricket, but it was too risky to last.

Shane Bond, after being smashed for 14 off four balls, struck back by having Sehwag caught at short cover (110 for 6). And when Dravid finally departed 20 runs later, misjudging the depth of the deep-point fielder and hitting his cut shot deliberately in the air to Michael Mason, the end was near.

Earlier, Zaheer did the star turn for India again, bringing them back into the contest with an inspired spell of seam bowling. He gave India the early breakthroughs – having Vincent caught at slip by Dravid for 3 (7 for 1), and trapping Richardson in front for 13 as the batsman offered no shot (39 for 2) – and then returned to finish off the tail with Harbhajan.

The rest of the attack provided little support early on. Ashish Nehra was listless in his first two overs, serving up generous half-volleys, while Yohannan's radar was directed more than two feet outside off stump.

Then, Ganguly effected a change of ends for Nehra, and the move worked wonders, as he nailed two wickets in three balls. First, Craig McMillan (4) edged a loose drive to Dravid, then Nathan Astle slashed one to Harbhajan at backward point (48 for 4), after a no ball had probably saved him being trapped in front off the previous delivery.

Stephen Fleming rode his luck in making 21, surviving a plumb shout for lbw and an appeal for a gloved catch down the leg side. His good fortune finally ran out in the first over after lunch, when he drove a return catch to Zaheer (60 for 5).

With the recognised batsmen out of the way, India went for the kill, and, for once, didn't allow the tail to wag. Ganguly effected a smart bowling change by bringing on Harbhajan to partner Zaheer, and the combination wrecked havoc, as the last five wickets managed a mere 34.

The batsmen contributed partially to that collapse though, with some hare-brained batting against Harbhajan. Oram's heroics in dancing down the pitch, and Scott Styris's heave to leg, were both strokes which were ill-suited for a pitch, and a match situation, like this one. Two wickets off consecutive balls – including a run-out – wrapped up New Zealand's first innings 38.2 overs, exactly the length of India's first innings.

Then came another Indian collapse, and by close of play, New Zealand's openers had done enough to ensure that they'd approach the last day fancying a win. S Rajesh is sub editor of Wisden.com in India

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