New Zealand would be pretty happy to restrict India to 291 for 9 but will have to bat out of their skins to wrest complete advantage from the hosts.

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New Zealand players celebrate the wicket of Indian opener KL Rahul who made a 39-ball 32. 

An Indian batting collapse is not something that will amaze any fan or surprise them. It has been a common feature in the recent past. Lack of application from ‘natural stroke players’ made a mediocre Kiwi bowling attack look venomous during the first day of India’s 500th test at the Green Park in Kanpur. At stumps, with the score at 291 for 9, the hosts would feel they would end up 70-80 runs short of what they initially planned for.

They looked good for much more when Murali Vijay (65) and Cheteshwar Pujara (62) were feasting on some freebies from the three kiwi spinners. Call it over-indulgence or just the struggle to put together a playing eleven, the visitors accommodated all three spinners on a track that has only just begun to show its true colours in patches. At 154 for 1, things looked rosy before a ‘set for another daddy hundred’ Pujara lobbed one straight back to Mitchell Santner (3-77). The ball stopped and gripped the surface which could well be signs of things to come. It all went downhill thereafter and rather quickly.

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Murali Vijay (65, in the background) and Cheteshwar Pujara (62) added 112 for the second wicket to lay the foundation which was not capitalized upon.

Virat Kohli (9) fell to his second favourite stroke, the pull, a shot that he could well have avoided to a bouncer from Neil Wagner (1-42). Murali Vijay edged a rank long hop from Ish Sodhi (1-50) to Luke Ronchi while Mark Craig (1-59), who possibly was the best among the three kiwi spinners, was rewarded for his hard work with the wicket of Ajinkya Rahane (18). From 154 for 1, India were reduced to 209 for 5. Rohit Sharma (35) looked to play well within himself and almost got through the day with a partnership of 52 with Ravichandran Ashwin (40), before a bout of overconfidence led him to loft a Santner delivery straight to mid-on, immediately after the second new ball was taken.

India New Zealand Cricket
New Zealand’s wicket keeper BJ Watling, left and Martin Guptill appeals for the wicket of India’s batsman Rohit Sharma during their first cricket test in Kanpur, India, Thursday, Sept. 22, 2016. (AP Photo/Tsering Topgyal)

It took only three overs for Trent Boult, who was erratic with the first new ball, to run riot with the second nut as he knocked over Saha (0), Ashwin and Mohammad Shami (0) in quick succession to have the hosts nine down with three overs still to play. Ravindra Jadeja and Umesh Yadav threw their bats around to survive till the close of play.

Earlier in the day, KL Rahul began India’s 500th test match with a flurry of boundaries, scoring 32 out of the 42 runs added for the opening wicket. The highlight of the innings was a visibly different Pujara, who carried on with his good form from the domestic circuit. With his dancing shoes on, he stepped out to every opportunity to negate the kiwi spinners. His 109-ball 62 was laced with eight hits to the fence; most of them were stepping out to the tweakers.

The kiwis would consider the day to belong to them, but they will have to content with the Indian spinners on a day which might just be the best day to bat in a this match. The Indians on the other hand, will look to add as many runs as they possibly can to add to the frustration of the visitors.