NZ bowlers leave India at 110/6 as Kohli fights

New Zealand pacers made the ball talk on an ominous-looking relaid Eden Gardens surface but skipper Virat Kohli's fighting 45 ensured that India took a sizeable 222-run lead at tea on day three of their second cricket Test here today.
Matt Henry (3/34) and Trent Boult (2/19) reduced India to 43/4 by taking four wickets in 43 balls in the post-lunch session, but Kohli and Rohit Sharma seized the momentum in the most entertaining period of the day.
At tea, Sharma was unbeaten on 20 in his happy-hunting ground while giving him support was local lad Wriddhiman Saha on four with India placed at 110/6 after 31 overs.

Going through a rare lean patch, Kohli returned among runs but failed to make it big after being trapped for 45 to a perilously low ball from Boult.
Kohli hit seven delightful boundaries and shared 48 runs with Sharma and their partnership ensured that India's lead go past 200.
There was about 20,000-odd Eden turnout, the best in the ongoing Test, and they did not mind the extreme heat and humidity and remained glued to their seats as Kohli worked the ball around.

Kohli had a close shave when he was yet to open his account. The Indian skipper was hit on his front pad but replay showed the ball was going down the leg and fortunately for Kohli the umpire ruled in the batsman's favour.

But from then on he did not have any trouble as he was seen playing forward, even as the ball had the odd bounce and was coming slow on a few occasions.
In the fourth ball after lunch, Henry gave the breakthrough by producing a beautiful outswinger as Vijay once again became the Kiwi youngster's victim.
Cheteshwar Pujara (4), Shikhar Dhawan (17), who was hit on his bottom hand thump twice, got out LBW while Ajinka Rahane (1) mistimed one while trying to pull Henry.
Earlier, in reply to India's 316 in the first innings, New Zealand were bundled out for 204 in 53 overs.

Playing his first Test after more than three years, No.9 Jeetan Patel, the off-spinner who was flown in from England to replace an injured Mark Craig, was the top scorer for New Zealand with his 47 in a 60-run partnership with BJ Watling (25).
Patel's careerbest score took New Zealand past the 200-mark but he could not make further inroads with the ball Ravichandran Ashwin gave the first breakthrough of the day in his first over.
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Jadeja was introduced in the fifth over of the day but the 36-year-old, who has an experience of playing in these conditions, looked at ease hitting the left-arm spinner for two boundaries in his first over of the day.

Patel raced to 47 from 44 balls with three boundaries in one Jadeja over before being adjudged lbw after he was hit on his backfoot, but he survived as the India spinner had overstepped.
But Ashwin denied Patel his first international half-century when the batsman skied a catch to Mohammed Shami while trying to clear mid-on.
Shami (3/70) then dismissed Watling (25) and Neil Wagner (10) in successive overs to wrap the tail, giving India a 112-run first innings lead.
India's pace duo of Bhuvneshwar Kumar (5/48) and Shami accounted for eight wickets, while the spin pair of Ravindra Jadeja and Ashin took one each.

That India's ace spinner Ashwin just had to bowl eight overs summed up how pacer-friendly the relaid Eden wicket was.
India lead the three-match series 1-0 after their 197-run win in the Kanpur Test.