Fast bowlers Shanthakumaran Sreesanth and Ishant Sharma picked two wickets each as India seized the initiative on the opening day of the third and final Test against New Zealand on Saturday.
Fast bowlers Shanthakumaran Sreesanth and Ishant Sharma picked two wickets each as India seized the initiative on the opening day of the third and final Test against New Zealand on Saturday.
The new-ball bowlers ran through the Kiwi top-order after a wet outfield at the Vidarbha Cricket Association stadium in Nagpur delayed the start of the match by an hour and forty minutes.
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At tea, New Zealand were reeling at 72-5 after electing to bat first, with Jesse Ryder (26) and Gareth Hopkins (seven) not out.
Sreesanth gave India the first breakthrough when makeshift opener Martin Guptill (six) nicked him behind the stumps in the seventh over of the innings.
Guptill was promoted to the opener's slot only because Brendon McCullum injured his back during practice on the morning of the match.
McCullum, who scored a maiden double-century in the drawn second Test in Hyderabad, was expected to bat lower down the order.
Sreesanth picked his second wicket in his next over, claiming Tim McIntosh (four) with a ball that sneaked between the bat and pad to uproot the off-stump.
Sharma, playing his first match of the series, got the big wicket of Ross Taylor when he had him trapped plumb in front of the wicket for a 24-ball 20 inclusive of three fours.
Left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha reduced the visitors to 43-4 with Kane Williamson (zero) offering a simple catch to Virender Sehwag at short cover.
Sharma struck again in his second spell to remove Vettori, who played onto his stumps while trying to play a pull shot.
No play was possible in the first session due to dampness in the outfield caused by intermittent rain over the past week.
The series is tied 0-0 after high-scoring draws in Ahmedabad and Hyderabad.
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