India 90-3 at tea on day 5, chasing 435 vs. NZ
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — The second test between New Zealand and India appeared headed for a draw at tea on Tuesday's final day, giving New Zealand an unlikely series victory.
Chasing 435 for victory, India was 90-3 at tea, with its only task in the final session being to avoid another defeat and a 2-0 series loss.
Earlier, captain Brendon McCullum became the first New Zealand player to score a test triple century, with his innings of 302 putting the hosts in command after having trailed by 246 runs on first innings.
New Zealand declared its second innings at its highest test score of 680-8 shortly before lunch.
At tea, Virat Kohli was on 48 not out and Rohit Sharma 15, after openers Murali Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan both fell cheaply.
India went to lunch at 10-0 but lost its opening pair within seven balls of the start of the second session. Vijay was caught at slip by Corey Anderson off Tim Southee and Dhawan was unfortunate to be given out lbw to Trent Boult. Replays showed the ball was passing over the stumps.
Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara steered India away from the immediate threat of defeat, adding 44 in a patient stand before wicketkeeper B.J. Watling caught Pujara from Southee's bowling, to leave India 54-3.
Southee dropped Sharma off his own bowling before tea, perhaps costing New Zealand its last chance to force a win.
The match was turned by McCullum's historic innings. The New Zealand captain started the day at 281 not out and finished at 302, overtaking Martin Crowe's 299 against Sri Lanka in 1991 at the Basin Reserve as the top score by a New Zealand batsman in tests.
He was out caught by opposing captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni from Zaheer Khan's bowling after an innings which had lasted 775 minutes and 559 balls; the longest ever played by a New Zealander.
Jimmy Neesham made a century on debut and finished on 137 not out.
New Zealand's total, which was built around the world record 352-run sixth-wicket partnership between McCullum and Watling (124), surpassed New Zealand's previous highest test score of 671-4, made against Sri Lanka at the Basin Reserve in the match in which Crowe made his record total.
When McCullum began his innings, New Zealand was 52-3 and battling to save the test.
New Zealand was 92-5 when McCullum and Watling came together and their partnership ended when the home team was 446, leading by 200 runs with the test and series all but saved.
McCullum established himself as the first member of New Zealand's 300 club with a four behind point of Zaheer and was received with a standing ovation that lasted several minutes.
India, which went into the match with only three specialist fast bowlers, bowled an arduous 210 overs through more than seven sessions. The 35-year-old veteran Zaheer Khan bowled 51 overs and finished with 5-170.
