India vs New Zealand, 2nd Test, Day 4 Highlights – 17th Feb 2014

India vs New Zealand, 2nd Test, Day 4 Highlights – 17th February 2014

 

India vs New Zealand, 2nd Test, Day 4 Highlights - Part 1
India vs New Zealand, 2nd Test, Day 4 Highlights - Part 2
India vs New Zealand, 2nd Test, Day 4 Highlights - Part 3
India vs New Zealand, 2nd Test, Day 4 Highlights - Part 4



India vs New Zealand, 2nd Test, Day 4 Highlights - Short Highlights



 New Zealand 192 and 571 for 6 (Brendon McCullum 281 not out*, BJ Watling 124 runs, Jimmy Neesham 67 runs) lead India 438 by 325 runs

It began as a "let's see what we can do" minutes after lunch on day three. Then it became about taking it to the next session. Then to the next day. Along the way it was about making India bat again. Even the most fanciful of New Zealand players or fans wouldn't have thought or planned how they would go about it but, close to five sessions later, New Zealand are the only team in a realistic position to win this match. Brendon McCullum and BJ Watling added 194 to their overnight 158-run stand without ever looking in trouble, helping New Zealand take the lead to 325 by stumps. When the two came together, New Zealand were 152 in arrears. 

This is possibly New Zealand's best rearguard ever. McCullum became the first New Zealander to score back-to-back double-centuries, and finished the day 19 short of their first triple-century. Watling played the longest innings by a New Zealand wicketkeeper and fell only two short of the highest by a New Zealand No. 7 in the second innings. Together they put on the highest sixth-wicket partnership, at 352 runs, in Test cricket. And when Watling finally fell, Jimmy Neesham came in and smacked an unbeaten 67 off 96, the third-highest by a New Zealand debutant at No. 8. 

Numbers, though, don't do justice to the stories. The task New Zealand's batsmen faced was enormous. They were going with an aim of just batting and batting for days, and at any point for a major duration in the partnership one bad ball could turn the whole match back in India's favour. Having put in a huge effort on day three, New Zealand still began the day at 6 for 5. Just imagine the cruelty of getting out at any point in the first session, and watching India come back.