04 April,2009 11:58 AM IST | | PTI
Zaheer Khan produced a devastating spell of seam bowling to take five wickets as India put themselves in drivers' seat by taking a 182 first innings lead in the third and final Test today morning.
Zaheer capitalised on the bounce at the Basin Reserve track to return with impressive figures of five for 65, his seventh fiver, as the hosts folded up their first innings for a paltry 197 in reply to India's 379.
The Indians were 51 for 1 in their second essay at close of second day to have an overall lead of 233 runs, with Gautam Gambhir (28) and Rahul Dravid (9) at the crease.
It was a disciplined bowling performance by the tourists who kept the pressure for most part of the Kiwi innings with a tidy line and length.
Off-spinner Harbhajan Singh was the other successful bowler with three for 43 while pacemen Ishant Sharma and Munaf Patel chipped in with a wicket apiece.
Visiting captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni had also a busy day as he took six catches, the most by an Indian wicketkepeer, eclipsing Syed Kirmani's five catches.
Ross Taylor (42) and Tim McIntosh (32) were the two Kiwi batsmen who got decent starts but none of the other batters could hang around for long on a day which was completely dominated by Dhoni and his men.
With three full days left in the game, the Indians will now look to take a mammoth lead and press for their first Test series triumph on New Zealand soil in 41 yrs.
As in the first two Tests in Hamilton and Napier, New Zealand began their first innings on a wobbly note, losing Martin Guptill and Daniel Flynn by the eleventh over.
Having driven Zaheer handsomely through the off for a boundary, Guptill dragged the Indian strike bowler on to his stumps. The wiry opener, who has impressed more as a fielder, made 17.
With his tail up after the early strike, Zaheer used the windy conditions to move the ball either way of the seam to have Tim McIntosh and Daniel Flynn in a spot of bother.
It wasn't long before Flynn was done in by a beauty from Zaheer, the cherry tickling his willow en route to Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Flynn, who had been ruled out of the second Test at the McLean Park due to a hand injury, made just two on his return.
Resuming the post-lunch session at 64 for two, Tim McIntosh began the mid-afternoon exodus from the park, gobbled up by Yuvraj Singh at first slip off Zaheer.
Jesse Ryder, playing his first Test in front of his home crowd, lasted barely 12 balls, slashing Zaheer to Dhoni.
Harbhajan accounted for the wickets of Ross Taylor (42) and James Fraklin (15) while Ishant sharma, slammed for a four and six over backward point by Daniel Vettori, had the last laugh when he had the Kiwi captain snaffled behind by Dhoni, who thus far has taken four catches in the innings.
Earlier, India resumed their first innings at overnight 375 for nine but lasted barely 13 balls before folding up at 379.
Ishant Sharma fell for 18 to Chris Martin nicking New Zealand's most successful speedster to Brendon McCullum as he shaped to hit through the off on the up. Munaf Patel remained unbeaten with 14.
Martin, who had accounted for the scalps of Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Harbhajan Singh yesterday, finished with figures of 25.1-3-98-4. The 34-year-old has so far bagged 11 wickets in the series.
