India leave NZ in tatters on day 1
Only 56 overs of play was possible as the match started at 12:30 pm due to wet outfield. But the Indians more than made it up for the lost time with some disciplined bowling effort.
At stumps, Brendon McCullum, who battled a severe back pain throughout his innings, was batting on 34 (80 balls, 3x4) in company of Tim Southee (7). The only other notable Kiwi contributor was Jesse Ryder who hit an useful 59.
India's new ball duo of S Sreesanth and Ishant Sharma blew away the New Zealand top-order to set the tone as the hosts looked like going for the kill to win the series.
In pace spearhead Zaheer Khan's absence, Sreesanth (9-4-20-2) and Ishant (13-2-32-2) bowled well enough to prove Sunil Gavaskar's pre-match prediction that the "pitch will be a batsman's paradise" wrong. The effort was even more laudable as one session of play was completely lost which could be vital in the context of the match.
India leave NZ in tatters on day 1
New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori elected to bat after winning the toss but the move backfired as the Indians came up with a superb show at the post-lunch session.
Credit should also be given to left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha (19-2-49-2) for his disciplined effort.
New Zealand openers Tim McIntosh (4) and Martin Guptill (6) started sedately before Guptill hit a square cut off Sreesanth. His opening partner Tim McIntosh repeated the shot off Ishant in the very next over.
However, Guptill did not last long as Sreesanth produced a beauty of a delivery to get rid of the makeshift opener.
It was the first delivery of the seventh over. Sreesanth pitched it on the middle stump and the ball moved a shade away to kiss the outside edge of Guptill's bat as skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni safely pouched it behind the stumps.
Guptill's dismissal may have had to do with the fact that he was assigned a specialist job at the eleventh hour due last match's double centurion Brendon McCullum sustaining a back injury while fielding during the practice session.
India leave NZ in tatters on day 1
Sreesanth produced another gem of a delivery in his very next over when he got one to move in after pitching it outside off as southpaw McIntosh played to a wrong line. The delivery went between his bat and pad to send the off-stump for a walk.
Ishant, who in his first couple of overs didn't make the batsman play much, bowled a better line when skipper Dhoni brought him from the pavilion end. The Delhi pacer produced one of his trademark in-cutter that saw Ross Taylor (20, 3x4) not committing fully on his frontfoot and was adjudged leg-before. The score was 42 for three.
New Zealand's find of the tour Kane Williamson (0) failed to check his drive off a flighted delivery from Ojha and Sehwag got a dolly at short-cover. However, Williamson stood his ground as he thought that it was a bump catch. Third umpire Sanjay Hazare adjudged the batsman out after the television replays confirmed that it was a clean catch.
McCullum's injury also meant that skipper Vettori (3) had to promote himself up the order at number six. With four down and only 43 on the board, the pressure was a bit too much on the skipper as he needlessly tried to pull an Ishant delivery when the situation demanded a cautious approach. The ball didn't come onto the bat and was wide outside the off-stump.
The Black Caps' skipper only managed to drag it onto his stump to present Ishant his second wicket and leave his team tottering at 53 for five. Although Ishant gave away only seven runs in his first five over spell, his second spell of four overs that got him two for 17 was a better effort.