Kohli, Rahane 'Run Riot' as India pile up 557/5

Indian skipper Virat Kohli hammered a listless New Zealand attack with a superlative double hundred as the hosts piled up a mammoth 557 for five on the second day of the third cricket Test here.
Kohli stroked his way to a career-best 211 and was brilliantly supported by Ajinkya Rahane, who also notched up his highest score of 188 as the home team gained a clear upperhand on a pitch that will only get difficult to bat with passage of time.
At stumps, New Zealand were 28 for no loss with Martin Guptill (17 batting) and Tom Latham (6 batting) at the crease.

Kohli struck 20 hits to the fence while Rahane was equally dominant in his innings that was laced with 4 sixes and 18 boundaries.
The duo decimated the New Zealand attack to pile on a huge fourth wicket partnership of 365 - the highest-ever for India for the fourth wicket against all teams.
When Virat Kohli declared half-an-hour before close, Rohit Sharma (51 not out in 63 balls) and Ravindra Jadeja (17 not out) were at the crease after adding a quick-fire 53 runs in 59 balls for the unbroken sixth wicket.

Sharma cracked his third successive half-century of the series and struck 2 sixes and three fours.

The day's proceedings belonged almost entirely to Kohli who surpassed his previous best of 200 against West Indies at North Sound while Rahane eclipsed his previous best of 147 against Australia at MCG.
It was the second double century by Kohli in the space of six Tests and three months.
These two batsmen's complete domination of the clueless New Zealand bowling attack enabled India to add 98 runs in 30 overs in the second session after they had added 91 runs in the pre-lunch session after resuming at the overnight 267 for 3.
Both batsmen exerted complete sway over the visitors' attack and were hardly beaten before they fell early in the post tea session.

They made the visitors chase leather for more than three sessions after joining forces in the post lunch period of play on day one yesterday with the score on 100 for three.
(REOPENS DEL 66)
India, who lost the advantage of the toss at home for the first time after eight Tests, also let themselves down with sloppy close-in catching, grassing three in all, to let England off the hook.
Catches were dropped off Cook and Haseeb Hameed was let off by Murali Vijay in the slips off Yadav in the sixth over. Cheteshwar Pujara, at short leg, let the ball through his legs when Ali turned Ashwin after completing his half ton.

To make matters worse, the home team was also without Shami for some time as he limped off close to tea, unable to complete the first over of his second spell after delivering the first ball. He could bowl only in the second hour after tea.
The major part of the day belonged to Root who had an average in excess of 100 in six previous Tests against India but had played just one Test prior to today's game.
He looked unflappable, settling first and then milking the bowling with singles and two runs, and the occasional boundaries.
In the company of Ali, who notched his first plus-50 score against the hosts and ninth overall, Root rebuilt the innings.

Nearing tea, they came close to dislodging Root, but the batsman escaped a referral, the first called for by the home side in the match, after being hit low on the front pad by Yadav.
The not out decision by on-field umpire was reviewed by the Indians but replays showed the ball kissing the leg stump and the original not out decision remained.
Earlier, skipper Virat Kohli rung in bowling changes at both ends in order to break the fourth-wicket stand between Root and Ali, but all came to naught due to diligent batting by the duo.
The hosts' bowling also appeared quite thin on a track that was easy-paced and easy to bat on. The non-availability for some period of the day of Shami as a bowler, who looked far more impressive than his pace bowling partner Yadav, was a big handicap.

In the morning, India picked up three England wickets
quickly before the visitors fought back through the ninth wicket stand between Buttler and Ball.
The first session of play was eventful, with the ball turning sharply and DRS called for on quite a few occasions by the home side.
India could have dismissed England had their catching been a little sharper on the turning track. Ashwin had Stokes top-edging in the very first over of the morning, but backward square leg fielder Bhuvneshwar Kumar reacted late to the opportunity and allowed the ball to hit the turf well in front of him.

Ashwin, however, did not have to wait long to send back Stokes but it needed a decision review call by the hosts to overturn the original decision of not out after he appeared to have edged to the slip fielder. DRS confirmed that it had taken a thin outside edge of Stokes' bat before going to keeper Parthiv Patel.
The wicket took Ashwin's tally from the innings to five, the 23rd time in 43 Tests that the 30-year-old off spinner had performed the feat. It also broke the sixth wicket partnership between Stokes and Buttler that was threatening to becoming a big stand.

Jadeja got into the act and started making the ball grip and turn at the other end. He first unsuccessfully reviewed a not out leg before decision by the umpire to leave the hosts without any DRS left in their kitty, having already exhausted their quota.
But Jadeja got rid of the other batsman -- Woakes -- in his seventh over of the morning when he got the batsman to edge low to Patel with a ball that turned sharp.
Buttler was lucky as he edged Ashwin close to Kohli in slip when on 40 and it needed Jadeja to remove Rashid at the other end with an arm ball that struck the off stump as the batsman left it by shouldering his arms.

In three overs, the left-arm spinner Jadeja had taken two wickets to leave England at 334 for 8. He should have had new batsman Ball too caught at slip but Indian skipper Kohli dropped a sharp chance.
Buttler went on to complete his half century in 106 balls and take England to 400 all out.