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R Ashwin grabbed the final three NZ wickets to finish with career-best figures of 6/31 |
Hyderabad: Registering a big victory India beat New Zealand by an innings and 115 runs to take a 1-0 lead in the two-match Test series at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Hyderabad on Sunday.
After reducing the Kiwis to 41 for one on Day 3, the Indians bowled the visitors out for 164 in their second innings to register a comprehensive innings and 115-run victory.
It was yet another delayed start as early morning rain and a slight drizzle forced the game to begin only at 11 am.
Once the match resumed, with the Kiwis needing another 238 runs to make the hosts bat again, MS Dhoni opted for a two-pronged spin attack as Brendon McCullum and Kane Williamson looked to deny India an easy win.
The New Zealand pair managed that in the first session as they batted a lot more positively against R Ashwin and Pragyan Ojha.
McCullum was quick on anything that was pitched short and mercilessly cut Ashwin and Ojha to the deep square leg boundary on either side of the first drinks break.
Williamson, too, smashed Ashwin to the square leg boundary off the last before lunch as the Kiwis ended the first session at 92 for the loss of one wicket.
It was all India thereafter. Umesh Yadav trapped McCullum (42) lbw in the third over after lunch; although replays suggested that McCullum had inside-edged the delivery on to his pads. Three overs later, Ashwin pegged back Ross Taylor’s (7) off stump to leave the Kiwis wobbling at 105 for three.
Williamson (52), nevertheless, battled on to reach his half-century – the only one by a Kiwi batsman in this Test. But when Pragyan Ojha had Williamson caught at first slip, with the visitors’ score at 138, the end was inevitable.
Ashwin simply ran through the remainder of the Kiwi batting line-up, picking up the wickets of Daniel Flynn (11), James Franklin (5),Kruger van Wyk (13),Trent Boult (0) and Chris Martin (0) to finish with figures of six for 54. Ojha chipped in with the wicket of Doug Bracewell as New Zealand folded at 164.
Ashwin’s match tally of 12 wickets for 85 runs is the best of his seven-match Test career.
His figures of six for 31 in the first innings are also his best performance in a single innings of a Test match.
The second Test of the two-match series will begin on August 31. It will be played at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
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Brief scores:
At end of Day 4: India 1 st innings 438/10 in 134.3 overs, (Cheteshwar Pujara 159, MS Dhoni 73, Jeetan Patel 4/100) beat New Zealand 1st innings 159/10 in 61.3 overs (James Franklin 43*, R Ashwin 6/31) and New Zealand 2nd innings 164/10 in 79.5 overs (Kane Williamson 52, R Ashwin 6/54) by an innings and 115 runs
At end of Day 3: India 1 st innings 438/10 in 134.3 overs, (Cheteshwar Pujara 159, MS Dhoni 73, Jeetan Patel 4/100); New Zealand
1 st innings 159/10 in 61.3 overs (James Franklin 43*, R Ashwin 6/31) and New Zealand 2nd innings 41/1 in 18.0 overs (Brendon McCullum 16*, Pragyan Ojha 1/13)
At end of Day 2: India 1 st innings 438/10 in 134.3 overs (Cheteshwar Pujara 159, MS Dhoni 73, Jeetan Patel 4/100); New
Zealand 1 st innings 106/5 in 42.0 overs (Kane Williamson 32, James Franklin 31*, R Ashwin 3/30)
At end of Day 1: India 1 st innings 307/5 in 87.0 overs, (Cheteshwar Pujara 119*, Virat Kohli 58, Trent Boult 2/63)
Man-of-the-match: R Ashwin for his match figures of 12 wickets for 85 runs.