Centuries from Gautam Gambhir and VVS Laxman guided India towards a draw in the second test against New Zealand. Indian batsmen raised the hopes of avoiding a seemingly defeat on the fourth day when India finished the day on 252 for 2, indicating an eventful fifth day. Yes, the final day of the match was eventful, but there was no excitement as Indian batsmen played for a mere draw.
Gambhir and Tendulkar started the day with the overnights score of 252 for 2, but New Zealand pacer Chris Martin picked up Tendulkar’s wicket making him the catch of wicketkeeper McCullum the batsman was on 62. However, Gambhir and Laxman cleared all the fears adding 96 runs for the fourth wicket partnership. Previous day’s centurion Gambhir batted pretty slowly before being LBW off Jeetan Patel for 137. To be honest, I did never see Gambhir batting in such a manner. Anyway, VVS Laxman completed his 14th test century and remained not out on 124, hitting 25 boundaries. Along with Laxman Yuvraj Singh was not out on 54 at stumps with India’s second innings total reaching on 476 for 4. For New Zealand, Patel picked up 2 wickets, while Martin and Vettori got a wicket each.
No doubt, Indian batsmen showed excellent resistance against New Zealand bowlers in the second innings. At the end of the third day, India was facing a defeat. With this draw, India could hold on to their 1-0 lead in the three-match test series. So, the third test starting from 3rd April in Wellington has become a must-win match for the home side, while India just needs a draw to win the series.
No comments:
Post a Comment