NZ batsmen start chase poorly
THE shoulders of stand-in skipper Ross Taylor took on further weight when rain stopped play halfway through the second day of the second test against India in Kolkata yesterday.
Reclaiming captaincy duties when an unwell Kane Williamson was ruled out on the first morning, Taylor was the lone top-order batsman left when the heavens opened above Eden Gardens and an early tea break was taken.
Already 1-0 down in the threematch series, the Black Caps were 85-4 in response to India’s first innings total of 316.
Taylor was 30 not out and young Mitchell Santner yet to arrive at the crease.
After the hosts tail had again wagged to add 77 to their over- night total of 239-7 and post what was probably a par total, the Kiwi reply had wobbled its way through not quite 25 overs.
The tourists lost openers Tom Latham (1) and Martin Guptill (13) in a half hour period before lunch For all the latest from Eden Gardens, go to and it did not get any better for the Black Caps after the break.
Filling the sizeable shoes of ill captain Kane Williamson at No 3, young Henry Nicholls played with an angled bat and played onto his poles to be out for one with just two further runs added.
Ronchi strode to the middle faced with a very different scenario to the spin storm he encountered early in both his innings in Kanpur. The approach to India’s threatening seam duo from the Kiwi-born former Australian limited-overs international, though, was no different and Taylor was happy to join in trying to take some initiative back from Kumar and Shami.
Taylor spanked two boundaries and Ronchi one in Ashwin’s first over and the 50 partnership came up in a swift 70 balls as New Zealand reached drinks at 74-3. But, just when they looked to be steadying the Black Caps back, India landed an important blow.
Ronchi had survived a close lbw shout off Jadeja a couple of overs earlier but this time the leftarm orthodox was not denied, umpire Rod Tucker raising the finger before replays showed the ball was likely drifting past legstump.