WELLINGTON: Brendon McCullum made his third test double century and wicketkeeper BJ Watling his third century as New Zealand´s sixth wicket pair turned a rearguard action into an offensive Monday on the fourth day of the second cricket test against India.
HunzaNews February 17th, 2014.
McCullum was 228 not out — his highest test score — with Watling on 119 — having played the longest test innings by a New Zealand keeper — in an unbroken partnership which had added 346 runs and guided New Zealand 440-5 with an overall lead of 194.McCullum´s double century was his second in four innings after his 224 in the first test at Auckland. He has scored all three double centuries against India with his previous top test score of 225 at Hyderabad in 2010.By tea, McCullum and Watling had batted for 499 minutes — 8-and-a-half hours — and had helped steer New Zealand from the immediate threat of defeat to a position from which they could begin to think not just of saving but of winning the match.
New Zealand was 94-5 when the pair came together four overs after lunch on the third day Sunday, with New Zealand battling the overcome the 246-run lead India had achieved by reaching 438 in reply to its first innings of 192.They first helped New Zealand erase that deficit without further loss in the 94th over of its second innings, then guided it to 252-5 at stumps on the third day.
Watling, a former opening batsman turned wicketkeeper, and McCullum, a former wicketkeeper turned batsman, carried on relentlessly, guiding New Zealand to 347-5 at lunch and to tea still only five wickets down and with four sessions of the match remaining.
With each run the odds of New Zealand saving the match lessened and the longer odds of winning the match also began to fall. New Zealand has a little batting still to come — Jimmy Neesham who made 33 in the first innings on debut and who has had to wait 500 minutes so far for his chance to bat again and Tim Southee, who has a highest test score of 77.If New Zealand can continue to a lead in excess of 250 with a chance to bowl to India on a wearing, fifth day pitch, they would seem to have some chance of winning the match and the series. New Zealand leads the two-match series after winning the first test at Eden Park by 40 runs.
McCullum needed occasional treatment for his chronic back injury throughout the fourth day as he continued to play an innings of outstanding diligence and concentration. By tea, he had batted for 593 minutes — just under 10 hours — in the longest innings of his career.
Watling, similarly, had occupied the crease for more than eight hours to break McCullum´s record for the longest innings by a New Zealand wicketkeeper. The partnership between the pair was the largest for New Zealand´s sixth wicket against all countries — beating the mark of 392 previously held by McCullum and Martin Guptill against Bangladesh. It was also the second-highest sixth wicket partnership for all countries, approaching the record mark of 351 set by Mahela and Prasanna Jayawardene for Sri Lanka against India in 2009.India went into the match with three fast bowlers and, as the sixth wicket partnership stretched on, their workload had become almost intolerable.
Ishant Sharma (33 overs), Zaheer Khan (37 overs) — who took 3-110, and Mohammed Shami (35 overs) were progressively worn down as they awaited the arrival of the third new ball.
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