KANPUR, India New Zealand overcame the loss of Martin Guptill to reach 71 for one wicket at lunch in reply to India’s first innings total of 318 on the second day of the first test on Friday.
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New Zealand stayed patient early in the morning as well, with Ravindra Jadeja and Yadav adding 41 runs for the final wicket, runs that could prove to be quite crucial.
Jadeja almost managed to snare Williamson early on when a edge fell just short of first slip and although there was some reverse on offer, like the spinners, the assistance was not enough to overly trouble the batsmen.
While they were otherwise in full control of their games, both needed their slices of fortune and it was the one Latham got that left all in attendance at Green Park Stadium with their eyes wide open in bemusement.
New Zealand bowlers Trent Boult and Mitchell Santner claimed three wickets each.
Tom Latham (25 not out) and captain Kane Williamson (21 not out) were the unbeaten batsmen at lunch.
Except for the last few overs, the two Kiwi batsmen remained untroubled even as they survived two incidents where they nearly lost their wickets.
Williamson survived a scare when a Ravichandran Ashwin ball hit the back of his helmet. Yadav took his time at the crease but his circumspect ways led him to avoid a bouncer from Neil Wagner, which ended up clipping the glove en route to BJ Watling, the wicketkeeper. The left-arm spinner bowled with four close-in fielders to put the visiting batsmen under pressure. Shami kept bowling at a teasing outside-off-stump line, keeping the scoring rate in check.
New Zealand’s Tom Latham plays a sweep shot.
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Fast bowler Umesh Yadav was the only Indian to bag a wicket, trapping Guptill leg before for figures of 1/22.
