India At End Of Day 2: In The Ascendancy, Is Anyone Surprised?

If there are currently two things picture perfect in New Zealand: it has to be a picturesque landscape and the perfect plan execution by team India on this tour.
Few teams can boast of success stories in the Test series after being six down for six in only the first session of the first Test. At the end of the second day, it appears New Zealand will not be one of those teams. But they were not expected to be, not against this Indian side.
On the contrary, if India could not recover from New Zealand’s rearguard action, questions would have been raised. As it turned, even with the 186 run partnership staged between two unlikely men, New Zealand had stuttered too much and too fast to allow them the luxury of turning things on their head. At the end of the day, it meant New Zealand gained back a little respect at the end of the first day’s play but not near enough to pose a serious challenge to the touring Indians in this first Test at Seddon Park, Hamilton.
Ishant Sharma walked away with four wickets at the end of the New Zealand innings on day one but one must not forget his other hunting partner Zaheer Khan who was instrumental in getting the early breakthroughs.
But if there is one New Zealander, apart from captain Daniel Vettori, who is putting is hand up and making it count, it has been the previous ‘bad boy of New Zealand cricket’ Jesse Ryder. Ryder once again featured in an unlikely comeback action and if New Zealand did get to 279, it was largely his controlled aggression while batting with the skipper that took New Zealand there.
Centuries for both, Vettori and Ryder, were then richly deserved, but it put Andy Moles flat on his face stating that New Zealand had found merit in preparing juicy pitches against Indians who found themselves uncomfortable against pace and bounce. As it turned out, John Wright’s warning that New Zealand could be caught in a situation that could backfire on them came true.
If New Zealand were bracing for a launch from the man they have feared most in the Indian team, Virender Sehwag, they found out once more that this is an Indian team full of assertive batsmen, each capable of winning the match on his own. Sehwag’s early and unfortunate run out proved it beyond doubt.
Gautam Gambhir forged a strong 105 run partnership with Rahul Dravid and it became evident that while India were not in a rush, victory was clear in their mind as also their strategy. That partnership apart, there was the usual flamboyance from VVS Laxman before typically becoming the chief architect of his own destruction, a loose shot claiming his wicket.
But Gambhir’s seventy-two was followed up by Dravid’s sixty-six with the banner left flying higher as Sachin Tendulkar lent weight to the innings. His unbeaten seventy promises a day three of great promises for India who could push their plan further, having overhauled New Zealand’s first innings total and at 278 for four, really turning the wheels that could firmly put them in the driver’s seat towards winning the first Test when day three dawns.