KANPUR : Paceman Umesh Yadav accounted for Martin Guptill but New Zealand came up with a confident reply to India’s first innings total of 318 by reaching 71 for one at lunch on day two of the first cricket Test, here today.
Kiwi captain Kane Williamson (21) and opener Tom Latham (25) added 36 runs for the unbeaten second wicket after Guptill was trapped by Umesh Yadav.
Resuming at 291 for nine, Ravindra Jadeja (42 not out) unleashed a few boundaries to take India past the 300-run mark as he added 41 runs for the last wicket with Yadav (9).
The left-hander countered the short balls from Trent Boult with pull shots and used his feet well against left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner.
India added 27 more runs to their overnight total before Yadav was caught by BJ Watling off paceman Neil Wagner.
When India bowled, Jadeja was introduced into the attack by skipper Virat Kohli in the third over of the Kiwi innings but neither him nor Ravichandran Ashwin got a wicket.
Left-arm spinner Jadeja bowled with four close-in fielders to put the visiting batsmen under pressure but the visitors handled the spin with ease.
Kohli took off Umesh Yadav after just one over but persisted with Mohammed Shami from one end. Shami kept bowling at a teasing outside-off-stump line, keeping the scoring rate in check.
Yadav was brought back and he immediately struck by trapping Guptill (21) in front of the wicket with a ball that swung in.
Guptill’s awful run, hence, continued. He has managed only one half-century in his last seven innings now.
A few boundaries were scored when Guptill was at the crease but runs mostly came in ones and twos with Williamson and Tom Latham batting cautiously.
The 50 of New Zealand innings came in the 15th over when Latham swept Ashwin for a single.
Williamson’s first boundary was a sweep shot going over the field to mid-wicket region off Ashwin and later he dispatched the same bowler to leg-side boundary off a full toss. (AGENCIES)
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