Sun, Nov 07 10 03:08 PM
Ahmedabad, Nov 7 (PTI) In a dramatic collapse, India lost their top three batsmen with only two runs on the board at tea after dismissing New Zealand for 459 on the fourth day of the first cricket Test here today. After taking New Zealand''s last four wickets for 42 runs, India were off to a shock start as they losing Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag and Rahul Dravid in the space of 4.5 overs. Gambhir fell for a duck while first innings centurions Sehwag and Dravid were dismissed after scoring identical singles to leave India tottering at two for three at tea with Sachin Tendulkar, yet to score after facing nine balls. Gambhir and Dravid were dismissed by fast bowler Chris Martin while Sehwag was brilliantly run out by substitute fielder Martin Guptill. The Test, that headed for a tame draw close to lunch when New Zealand were 417 for five chasing India''s 487, has taken a dramatic turn with four sessions left to be played on a pitch that has started assisting the bowlers. Before losing the clutter of wickets, Pragyan Ojha picked up a career-best four-wicket haul as India dismissed New Zealand for 459 to take a token first innings lead of 28. After New Zealand almost saw off the first session without losing any wicket, they lost four in the post-lunch period to be all out one hour and 25 minutes into the session. Left-arm spinner Ojha, who dismissed debut centurion Kane Williamson with his third ball of the last over before lunch for 131 in 391 minutes, sent back wicketkeeper Gareth Hopkins post lunch to finish with career-best innings figures of 4 for 107 in 53 overs. The 24-year-old Hyderabad cricketer, who sent back Brendon McCullum and B J Watling yesterday, bettered his previous best of 4 for 115 claimed against Sri Lanka when India visited the island nation a few months ago. Part time bowler Suresh Raina dismissed rival captain Daniel Vettori for 41 without any addition to New Zealand''s total before Hopkins was sent back. New ball bowlers S Sreesanth and Zaheer Khan later packed off Jeetan Patel and Hamish Bennett respectively to terminate the visitors'' first innings short of India''s own. In a dramatic collapse on either side of lunch, New Zealand lost their bottom half for 42 runs after threatening to overtake the Indian total when they were 417 for five before Williamson was caught in the slips off Ojha on the stroke of lunch. The other wicket takers for India, who made 487 in the first innings, were Zaheer Khan (2), Shantakumaran Sreesanth (2), Harbhajan Singh and part timer Suresh Raina (one each). But New Zealand rocked India with three early wickets when the hosts started their second innings late in the middle session. .
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