Wriddhiman Saha
chose a fine occasion to hit his maiden half-century in India. His team
was playing its 250th Test at home - at his home in fact - and was
looking for a total above 300. Saha knew he had to be careful at the
start. There was the new-ball factor, and New Zealand had come back on
the second day refreshed. Soon though, he had to hit out as India lost
their eighth and ninth wickets with the addition of a mere nine runs. A
lofted cover drive of the highest order - never mind that it went for
six - brought him his fifty and thrust India over 300. Eventually, he
was unbeaten on 54 and his team reached 316.
New Zealand had approximately half an hour to survive to lunch. India
didn't let them. Mohammed Shami, another local boy, trapped Tom Latham
in front with an inswinger from around the wicket. The recalled
Bhuvneshwar Kumar had the luckless Martin Guptill bowled off his elbow;
it was the seventh successive time in Test cricket he had been dismissed
by the bowler using the new ball.
The day began with a bouncer. Saha responded with a cover driven four
next ball. Later, the hard new ball, pitched short by Trent Boult,
barely whistled over the off stump. For the rest of that over, the 91st,
Ravindra Jadeja had to contend with balls flying past his ears. Saha
was hit on the elbow and the rib cage. Jadeja smacked the third ball of
spin for six over deep midwicket. Just as their partnership was becoming
dangerously big considering it was for the eighth wicket, Neil Wagner
broke through.
Some say the health of Test cricket is dire; that Twenty20 has swindled
the fan base because anything can happen. In Kolkata, two good teams and
a pitch that was helping the bowlers proved it isn't hard to replicate
that excitement no matter the format.
New Zealand had good plans. The presence of a short leg and leg gully
made Boult's sucker balls more threatening because the batsman was often
caught in the crease - under pressure from a string of dots. The flash
outside the off stump was instinctive. Two slips and a gully were
waiting. For Matt Henry, cover was left open to tempt the batsman into
playing with an open face. Not the best option against a bowler known
for his outswing.
The Eden Gardens pitch had quickened up, but it continued to offer
variable bounce. Batting wasn't easy. But runs were vital. So Jadeja and
Saha gutsed it out. They added 41 runs in 74 balls, and a measure of
how well they assessed conditions and stood up to them was that there
were only three boundaries this morning in the partnership. All well
crafted - a crisp cover drive against a half-volley and a gentle glide
to third man from Saha, and a rip-roaring six from Jadeja, hit with the
turn and in spite of a man in the deep.
India have often used one partnership, one mistake from the opposition,
even a change in the wind to get on a roll at home. To prevent that Ross
Taylor asked Wagner to go around the stumps, posted a short leg and a
leg gully. Jadeja knew what was coming, but couldn't help himself. He
was cramped by the line. He couldn't get on top of the bounce. The short
ball - though it was telegraphed - was top-edged to Matt Henry at long
leg.
Mitchell Santner trapped Bhuvneshwar plumb in front in the 100th over
but umpire Rod Tucker misread it. So Santner did his best to recreate
the same play the very next ball and the finger went up. This time,
though, HawkEye seemed to indicate it was sliding down. Shami came out
and got three fours away, but when he pulled Boult in the air to long
leg, Henry raced to his right and pulled off a stunning catch to end the
innings.
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