Ashwin leads fightback

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On a day when 14 wickets fell by the wayside to ensure an early finish in the second Test, Tim Southee’s sustained spell of seam bowling on the third morning firstly meant the Indians would fall a little short of the New Zealand first innings total. Home bowlers, led by R. Ashwin’s third five-for in four innings, though hit back in rapid fashion to put India in command
At close on Day Three, New Zealand ahead by a mere 12 in the first innings, stumbled to 232/9 for an overall lead of 244 but the Indians will be acutely aware that the highest successful chase at the Chinnaswamy has been only 207. Whatever the target, history will be ranged against them and of course, they have to combat Southee & Co.’s skills.
It may not have been an intense day’s play but there was enough in the game for a big Sunday crowd to stay engrossed in their seats. The morning session belonged to Southee (7/64) and the seamer who has made the senior grade at the same time as Virat Kohli showed an uncanny ability to swing the ball in the slightest of helpful conditions.
Kohli, seven short of a second Test ton when the Indians resumed at 283/5, completed the landmark with a flick off Trent Boult to mid-wicket but fell soon as he shouldered arms to a Southee delivery that was angled in, leaving little room for doubt.
Southee then trapped Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who added 16 to his overnight 46, lbw, and looked like running through the tail before Ashwin (32 n.o.) thwarted the Kiwi hopes in a stubborn last wicket stand worth 33 with Umesh Yadav. Southee’s career-best figures is also the best-ever by a Kiwi on Indian soil.
It meant that India crept to 353, keeping the visitors’ lead wafer-thin. The home bowlers then seized the opportunity to strike at the Kiwis’ heart and not surprisingly, Ashwin’s spin confounded them.
Yadav, who has had an unflattering outing here, justified his presence by sending back openers Martin Guptill and Brendon McCullum immediately after lunch.
The former’s inside-edge of a full toss crashed into the stumps before McCullum hung his bat limply to a ball that kept its line en route to Dhoni.
A New Zealand collapse was always on the cards and though skipper Ross Taylor, Daniel Flynn and James Franklin hung around , they couldn’t convert the 30s into bigger efforts and the genesis of their problems was in tackling Ashwin.
The finger spinner, who bagged 12 wickets at Hyderabad but had just one to show in the first innings here, came roaring back as he snuffed out the Kiwi hopes. Ashwin, brought in after 17 overs, struck straightway getting rid of Kane Williamson, who cut to Virender Sehwag in the slips.

scorecard
New Zealand (1st innings): 365.
India (o/n 283/5) (1st innings): G. Gambhir b Southee 2, V. Sehwag c Flynn b Bracewell 43, C. Pujara c Boult b Southee 9, S. Tendulkar b Bracewell 17, V. Kohli lbw b Southee 103, S. Raina c van Wyk b Southee 55, MS Dhoni lbw b Southee 62, R. Ashwin (not out) 32, Z. Khan c van Wyk b Southee 7, P. Ojha c van Wyk b Southee 0, U. Yadav b Boult 4. Extras (b11, lb2, w1, nb5) 19. Total (in 96.5 overs) 353.
FoW: 1-5, 2-27, 3-67, 4-80, 5-179, 6-301, 7-312, 8-320, 9-320.
Bowling: Boult 23.5-2-90-1, Southee 24-6-64-7, Bracewell 20-4-91-2, Franklin 10-4-17-0, Patel 19-5-78-0.
New Zealand (2nd innings): B. McCullum c Dhoni b Yadav 23, M. Guptill b Yadav 7, K. Williamson c Sehwag b Ashwin 13, R. Taylor lbw b Ojha 35, D. Flynn c Sehwag b Ashwin 31, J. Franklin st Dhoni b Ashwin 41, C. van Wyk lbw b Ashwin 31, D. Bracewell lbw b Ojha 22, T. Southee b Ashwin 2, J. Patel (batting) 10, T. Boult (batting) 0. Extras (b4, lb12, w1) 17. Total (for 9 wkts, in 69 overs) 232.
FoW: 1-30, 2-31, 3-69, 4-111, 5-140, 6-195, 7-216, 8-222, 9-222.
Bowling: Zaheer 12-2-37-0, Yadav 14-0-62-2, Ojha 20-6-48-2, Ashwin 22-1-69-5, Raina 1-1-0-0.