New Zealand fight back with quick wickets

India continued their dominance over the New Zealand bowlers in the second session of the opening day at Kanpur as fifties from Murali Vijay (65) and Cheteshwar Pujara (62) helped India to a strong position. However, New Zealand clawed their way back into the game with quick wickets of Pujara and Kohli and Vijay as India ended the session at 185 for 4.

Vijay and Pujara, two players whose non-inclusions in the Test side for the third game in West Indies rose quite a few eyebrows, proved their worth for the Indian side as they helped the team overcome KL Rahul's dismissal in the first session. The pair looked comfortable against both spinners and pacers, and put on a hundred-run stand for the second wicket.

Cheteshwar Pujara came into the game in fine form, having scored a daddy hundred and a double hundred in the Duleep Trophy, and he carried on from where he'd left off. He used his feet to the spinners and flicked them through the gaps on the leg side, while anything short was dealt with equal efficiency.

Vijay was a picture of calm throughout his chanceless knock, leaving very well outside the off-stump and looking assured in his strokeplay. Although significantly slower than Pujara, Vijay went on to notch up his fifty first, sneaking in a single to mid-on.

Pujara followed suit soon after, getting to his landmark in more or less similar fashion.

But just as India looked to consolidate an extremely strong position, New Zealand found their way back into the game. Mitchell Santner was, once again, the provider of breakthrough, as he had Pujara out caught and bowled for 62 with a full delivery.

This was Pujara's second fifty since his hundred against Sri Lanka last year, and it turned out to be another chance wasted, having failed to make it a big knock.

Since his ton against Sri Lanka, Pujara has faced less than 36 deliveries in an innings on only one occasion. In all other instances, Pujara has had ample time to settle in, but uncharacteristically, he has failed to convert 9 such chances into a big hundred.

His frustration at another failure today was evident as he slammed his bat hard on his pads after offering Santner an easy return catch.

Neil Wagner had predominantly operated with a short-ball tactic against the Indian batsmen, but in KL Rahul, Vijay and Pujara he had found players reluctant to take him on. Virat Kohli, however, did not hold back, and that proved to be the batsman's undoing.

A pull off a short delivery ended up in the hands of Ish Sodhi positioned in the deep for precisely that shot. Wagner celebrated with a fist pump and a roar. Kohli (9) could only look down at his bat and the ground in disappointment.

Vijay, who had so far looked unperturbed, too departed soon after. Sodhi had the right-hander edge an attempted cut to the keeper. India had lost their last three wickets for 41 runs towards the end of the the second session.

India reached 185 for 4 with Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane at the crease.