Harbhajan Singh
Hyderabad: Brendon McCullum displayed character and temperament in the middle with an unbeaten 124* under pressure but the second Test is on the edge. A thriller could be on the cards.
New Zealand will start Day 5 with 115 runs ahead and 6 wickets remaining. Trailing by 122 runs in the 1st innings, the Kiwis were 237/4 at stumps at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Monday. The surface did provide some turn and bounce in the last hour but the Indian spinners will have to lift their performances.
The hosts were affected by the absence of paceman Zaheer Khan; he was away from the field for more than 2 hours after sending down 4.3 overs. He returned in the last session of play and will be fit to bowl on the final day.
Earlier, Harbhajan Singh made history by becoming the first No. 8 to score back-to-back centuries in Test match cricket. It was a triumphant moment for the Turbanator when he turned paceman Tim Southee for a single at long leg, sprinted and then jumped in delight.
The 105 run last wicket partnership between Harbhajan and Sreesanth took the Indian total to 472. Deservingly, crafty left-arm spinner Daniel Vettori had another five-wicket haul. Then the 125 run partnership between Kiwi openers McCullum and Tim McIntosh pegged India back.
The duo is an interesting combo. Brendon is a spontaneous stroke-maker while McIntosh is a grafter. The bowlers not only have to shift their line to the right hand-left hand batting combination but also have to alter their length given the difference in heights of the two batsmen.
McCullum is sort of batsman who disrupts the line of the bowlers. He swept and reverse-swept Harbhajan, pulled P Ojha. The Kiwi was also judicious in his stroke-play. McCullum duly reached his 6th Test ton, enjoying his new role as a Test opener.
McIntosh played a watchful innings, he was sure about his ‘leaves’ outside the off-stump but was not entirely strokeless. He eased Sreesanth through covers, wristed Pragyan Ojha over the long-on fence. The opener was unlucky to be given caught at short-leg by substitute Pujara after attempting to sweep Ojha.
The Kiwis, gradually lost the ground. Martin Guptill attempted to cut an Ojha delivery spinning away to be caught behind.Ross Taylor played inside the line of a ball that disturbed the timber. The left-handed Jesse Ryder was shaping well before being priced out by Suresh Raina. The occasional off spinner spun one away from the southpaw from round the wicket to find the edge.
In the morning, Harbhajan continued to harass the bowlers, fearless of the men on the fence. With 295, he is the highest run-getter for India in the series so far. Once again, the Kiwi attack failed to finish things off. The attack has missed someone with extra pace to blow away the tail.
Tags: Brendon McCullum, Cricket, Harbhajan Singh, Hyderabad, India, Kiwis, New Zealand, Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Test Match, Test Series
