Cricket score India vs New Zealand Test 1 day 2 at Kanpur: Day 2 started in bad fashion for the Virat Kohli led Team India as Kane Williamson’s New Zealand side dismissed the last Indian wicket early morning and thereafter smashed the bowling to take themselves to a position of relative safety and even strength at 71/1 at lunch.
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Opener Tom Latham (25) and captain Kane Williamson (21) were the not-out batsmen, with New Zealand 247 runs behind their hosts who batted seven overs into the morning before being all out at Kanpur’s Green Park Stadium.
Williamson took 115 balls for his 66, that had seven boundaries in it while southpaw Latham has faced 137 balls so far and helped himself with five shots to the fence.
Earlier, the hosts were bowled out for 318 runs in the opening session of day two.
With strike bowlers not making any impact, Kohli asked part-timer Murali Vijay to bowl his off-breaks.
The left-hander went for a sweep shot against Ravindra Jadeja and the deflection hit his boot and popped up for Lokesh Rahul to take the catch at short leg. He nearly got Latham on a full toss, which the batsman missed and was struck on the pads, but umpire shot down the desperate vociferous appeal for LBW.
The decision was referred to the third umpire who ruled in the batsman’s favour after replays suggested the ball had touched the chin strap of Rahul’s helmet.
His move paid off when medium-pacer Neil Wagner claimed Indian skipper Virat Kohli’s scalp, caught at long-leg for nine after pulling at a bouncer.
Spin was introduced in just the 3rd over, with pacemen Yadav and Mohammed Shami used only in short bursts.
A few boundaries were scored when Guptill was at the crease but runs mostly came in ones and twos with Williamson and Latham batting cautiously.
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Martin Guptill (21) was the lone casualty as he was struck in front of his wicket by a Umesh Yadav delivery. Guptill managed to do the opener’s job well by taking the shine off the ball, but he has not really scored runs for a long time and that would worry the Kiwis – in last 7 innings he has scored jut one 50.
