Indian bowlers wipe the smiles off New Zealand's faces

Somewhere the Cricket Gods are laughing. It was Freaky Saturday at the Eden Park in Auckland as New Zealand and India switched roles on a day when 17 wickets fell. Having conceded a 301-run lead, India’s much-maligned bowling attack suddenly sparked into life as if jump-started by electric cable. The transformation appeared to mesmerise New Zealand’s batsmen, who simply forgot how to score runs. By the time the carnage ended, India were 87 for 1, leaving them 320 runs away from victory after looking dead and buried when Brendon McCullum chose not to enforce the follow-on. Should India go on to win the game, that decision will doubtless be seen as the moment when everything turned. New Zealand wasted little time knocking over India’s last six batsmen for the addition of 72 runs in the third session but by tea the smiles had been knocked off their faces. The job was done by the most unlikeliest of suspects – India’s bowlers. They had clearly watched and learned from New Zealand. Eight of India’s batsmen were out caught behind the wicket, most of them to deliveries that were pitched up. [caption id=“attachment_1380137” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Mohammad Shami in particular wasted no time in emulating the New Zealand seamers. Getty Images[/caption] Mohammad Shami in particular wasted no time in emulating the New Zealand seamers and he was backed up an unusually aggressive MS Dhoni, who packed fielders in as many catching positions as he could logically find. The fielding, led by Ravindra Jadeja, was also inspired, and the hosts top-order barely had time to strap on their pads as they lost 4 wickets for 15 runs in 7.4 runs before lunch. Shami accounted for both openers, getting one to seam back at Hamish Rutherford to catch him plumb in front of leg stump. An over later, Fulton spooned a regulation catch to Jadeja at short cover. If that catch was routine, Jadeja’s second at midwicket was anything but. He dived full length to his right and snatched the ball inches from the ground with his wrong hand (his right) to send back Kane Williamson for three. When he sprinted to square leg, slid and fired the ball back in to the non-striker’s end to catch McCullum short of his ground going for a second run, panic had officially set in for New Zealand. Even fortune had switched sides. Three balls before McCullum’s run-out, and before he had scored, Murali Vijay had dropped a sitter at first slip. In the first innings he had dropped Williamson on 32. He went to make 113. This time McCullum managed just one. There was no let-up from the other bowlers either. Zaheer Khan’s first six overs went for just seven runs. Ishant Sharma’s first three overs were maidens as he bowled almost exclusively at off-stump and there wasn’t a bouncer to be found for love or money. Even Jadeja’s nine overs went for only 10 runs; he had given away 120 in the first innings from 26 overs. It was a bowling performance even more relentless than the one New Zealand produced in the morning session and when Ishant Sharma took two wickets in the first over after tea, New Zealand were 80 for 9 and staring at their lowest ever total against India. For some reason Dhoni chose to give Rohit Sharma an over at that stage, temporarily lifting the pressure, and the last wicket pair added 25 to spare New Zealand that ignominy. Had Ross Taylor not managed 41 – he was the only batsmen to show application and intent – New Zealand would not even have got that far. The home side’s implosion left India a target of 407 to win a Test in which they seemed dead and buried before lunch. Though India lost Murali Vijay for 13 with the score on 36, the batsmen were no longer looking troubled and New Zealand’s bowlers had lost their potency. The spell had been broken. At close Dhawan had moved on to 49, his highest score since his debut Test and he and Pujara had added 51, the highest partnership of the day. India’s ascendancy was emphasised when Pujara pulled legspinner Ish Sodhi for six in the last half an hour of play. New Zealand still have the advantage. Only four teams have successfully chased a fourth-innings target over 400 and this would be third highest ever if India manage to pull it off. Still, India showed today they can bowl with discipline and intent and attack the batsmen rather than wait for something to happen. It has lifted the team and transformed the feeling of this Test match. Now it is the Indian batsmen’s turn to show they too can also respond to a challenge and finish the job their bowlers started.