CHRISTCHURCH- Virat Kohli’s batting woes continued but Cheteshwar Pujara and Hanuma Vihari ground out half centuries to help India reach 194 for five at tea on the first day of the second and final test against New Zealand at Hagley Oval on Saturday.
After losing the first test by 10 wickets in Wellington on Monday and the toss on Saturday, the tourists need to bat deep into the second day to give themselves a decent chance of squaring up the series.
Pujara, unbeaten on 53, will resume that task in the final session but without Vihari, who was dismissed for 55 to bring up the break and end their 81-run partnership.
Prithvi Shaw showed plenty of fight with a quickfire half century in the rain-delayed opening session but the Black Caps sent the 20-year-old back for 54 and also removed his opening partner Mayank Agarwal (7) before lunch.
Kohli was trapped plumb in front by Tim Southee for three from the first ball he faced after the first break to take his tally to a paltry 24 from his three innings in the series.
Worse still, the India captain optimistically referred both his and Agarwal’s dismissals to the third umpire, leaving his side without a review inside 25 overs of their innings.
Southee continued to swing the ball and winkled out Ajinkya Rahane for seven with a delivery that moved away from the batsman and flew off a thick edge for Ross Taylor to claim after a juggle in the cordon.
Taylor would have removed Vihari for nine in similar fashion off the bowling of Kyle Jamieson but wicketkeeper BJ Watling dived in front of the first slip and put the ball down.
The luckless Jamieson then watched an inside edge from Pujara go over the stumps and the top-order batsman rubbed salt into the wound by going on to record his 25th test half century.
He reached the 50 in typical undramatic style with a single off his hips and Vihari joined him with his ninth four in the final over before tea.
The 26-year-old carelessly went for a third boundary in the over but his attempted pull off Neil Wagner’s bowling only snagged a bit of glove and he was caught behind by Watling.
(Content and photos syndicated via Reuters)
