Scoreboard

Despite Nathan Astle's valiant Test century, the first by a New Zealander in India in 27 years, the visitors were struggling to avoid following-on at the end of day 3 in the first Test against India in Ahmedabad on Friday.

At stumps, New Zealand were 282 for 8, still 19 runs away from the follow-on.

Daniel Vettori (28) and Paul Wiseman (8) were at the crease.

After dominating the Indian bowlers for two sessions, the Kiwis lost three wickets after tea and allowed the game tilt India's way.

Anil Kumble celebrated his 350th Test wicket, dismissing Jacob Oram with a googly, while debutant L Balaji bagged his maiden Test scalp, trapping wicketkeeper Robbie Hart in front.

The hosts struggled to take the remaining seven Kiwi wickets after Zaheer Khan had cleaned up the top-order in the last session of day two. It probably begs two questions: should skipper Sourav Ganguly have used Virender Sehwag much earlier than he did? Why were the services of Sachin Tendulkar not used to make dents in the Kiwi batting.

Morning session:

New Zealand, replying to India's total of 500 for 5 declared, put up a spirited fight this morning, crossing the hundred-run mark without losing any wickets.

Last evening Zaheer left the Kiwi batting in tatters with an excellent spell of bowling. On Friday morning, he and L Balaji, the other seamer, began proceedings and bowled well, but were unable to get any success.

Overnight batsmen Astle and Scott Styris started positively, punishing the bad balls and looking to take the attack to the Indian bowlers rather than offer rearguard action.

Astle, who holds the record for the fastest Test double-century, batted fluently after playing an audacious square drive off Balaji early on. He and Styris brought up a 50-run partnership inside the first hour of the session.

Ganguly then brought on Harbhajan Singh and the change almost paid off. Despite the lack of turn from the wicket, the off-spinner induced a top edge from a Styris sweep shot, but Akash Chopra, despite a valiant diving attempt, failed to hold on to a tough chance at forward short leg.

Chopra, standing at forward short leg, also dropped a reflex catch from Styris, off the bowling of Harbhajan, and the Indian shoulders drooped in the blazing Ahmedabad heat.

Styris, however, failed to reap the benefits of the two lives he enjoyed and was dismissed when he offered a sharp chance to Chopra, who made no mistake this time at short leg.

Harbhajan smelt blood as the 91-run partnership between Styris-Astle was broken.(108-4)

Styris's wicket was the lone success for India this morning.

Other than that the Indian bowling effort in the morning was listless. Ganguly did not introduce Kumble in the first hour of the first session, which was intriguing.

Looking at India's bowling performance this morning, Zaheer's performance last evening seemed even more invaluable. Had opener Mark Richardson and Stephen Fleming stayed at the crease a little longer, this match would surely have headed for a draw.

New Zealand went into lunch on day 3 of the first Test against India on 118 for 4, with Nathan Astle batting on 54 and Craig McMillan on 8.

Post-lunch session:

Craig McMillan swept Anil Kumble for his seventh boundary and registered his half-century off 84 balls. The Indian bowlers failed to bowl a good line and force the mental pressure on the Kiwi batsmen.

Astle on the other hand attacked relentlessly. In one over of a tiring Kumble, he struck three fours and inched towards his century. He danced down the wicket and smacked Kumble to the mid-wicket fence before cutting him twice to the same region.

Kumble was guilty of bowling too full while Harbhajan was able to extract bounce but not much turn from the wicket.

McMillan was adventurous against the spinners, sweeping, reverse sweeping and driving as he raced to his half-century. He did not let any of the spinners settle down, and it was a freak dismissal that saw his innings end.

Stepping out to Sehwag, who Ganguly finally introduced into the attack, McMillan shaped up to sweep the ball on the full only to offer a low sharp catch to Chopra at short leg. The Kiwi was gone for 54, but his 92-ball stay at the wicket with Astle ensured that New Zealand closed in on the 301-run mark, needed to avoid the follow on. (199-5)

Astle, racing towards his hundred, treated Harbhajan with as much disdain as he had treated Kumble. He drove the 'offie' through the covers for successive boundaries and the Indian spin attack seemed feeble.

Harbhajan finally managed to coax Astle into edging one to the keeper, who dropped the sharp chance.

Though Patel has been very impressive against the medium pacers, his keeping to the spinners has been suspect and could do with some work in the nets.

Astle then went on to rub it in by cutting Harbhajan to the fence to get his maiden Test hundred in India.

His ninth Test ton came off 195 balls and 14 boundaries.

New Zealand went to tea on 221 for 5, with Nathan Astle unbeaten on a hundred and Jacob Oram struggling on 3, off 29 deliveries and dozen unsuccessful appeals against him.

Astle's ninth Test ton came off 195 balls and 14 boundaries.

Sehwag was the only bowler to taste success.

Ganguly clearly missed a trick by not giving Tendulkar a bowl through the two sessions today, and this despite the fact that Sehwag was extracting more turn from the wicket than the specialist spinners, Harbhajan and Kumble.

His captaincy was too defensive and it looked as if he was defending a total of 250 instead of the mammoth 500 his side had scored.

Balaji was overused and though he played his part well, the wicket was too slow for his liking.

It was a contrast watching two Tests is tandem. Half a world away, Australia was creaming the Zimbabweans, scoring at a run-rate of seven-plus, and here was India, in their own backyard, struggling to bowl out the New Zealand batsmen.

Post-tea session:

Oram struggled to cope with the wiles of the Indian spinners and the pressure told on Astle.

Keen to get his team close to the 301-run mark and avoid the follow-on, Astle stepped out to Harbhajan, without getting to the pitch of the ball, missed and was stumped by Patel for 103. (223-6)

Astle's 283-minute vigil had raised hopes that the Kiwis would avoid the follow-on. But with Oram clearly looking at sea and keeper Robbie Hart far from convincing against the spinners, it was only a matter of time before the slide would start.

Kumble put Oram out of his misery with a googly that took the edge of the bat and flew to Dravid at first slip.

It was Kumble's 350th Test wicket and his first in the Test. But, most importantly, it meant that the Kiwis had lost seven wickets and were still 74 runs from the follow-on.

Vettori joined Hart and together they put up a partnership, slowly inching towards the 301-run total.

Vettori had revealed in an interview recently that he was working hard on his batting. Indeed, he showed glimpses of the hard work, stroking some crisp drives.

Just when the spinners seemed to be getting on top of the Kiwis, Ganguly opted for the new ball, in the 96th over, with the Kiwis still 49 runs away from avoiding follow-on.

Soon after the drinks break, Balaji realised the moment he had been waiting for by grabbing his first Test scalp.

Bringing the ball back in, he trapped Hart in front and umpire David Shepherd wasted little time in showing the finger.

Hart was gone for a 58-ball 15 and the Kiwis were still 36 runs from batting again in the Test.

Day 2 report