India v New Zealand, 1st Test, Hyderabad, 1st day

Pujara, Tendulkar hold firm to lunch

India 97 for 2 (Pujara 12*, Tendulkar 12*) v New Zealand

	Trent Boult struck the first blow for New Zealand in Hyderabad © AFP

New Zealand walked off for lunch on the first day in Hyderabad pleased that, on a track with neither grass nor bounce to start with, they had India 97 for 2, with two relatively inexperienced specialist batsmen to follow.

The two men at the crease, Cheteshwar Pujara and Sachin Tendulkar, both on 12, span an entire lifetime in cricket. They had come together at 77 for 2 and played the last quarter of the first session with due respect given to the situation and the bowling. Pujara was composed at No. 3 in the short time he has played so far, neither panicking or trying to stamp his authority on the game.

When New Zealand captain Ross Taylor lost the toss, he had turned away in disappointment from camera, mike and match referee. He did mention, though, that if his bowlers could make the most of the first hour, it would mean at least a foothold in the game.

They did so, in just an under hour into the match, with the wicket of Gautam Gambhir. In 2010, the Sehwag and Gambhir partnership had turned out two century partnerships within a month, one against New Zealand in Nagpur and the other in Centurion against South Africa. Since then, their best partnership was 67 in Mumbai last year against West Indies.

As New Zealand's opening bowlers searched for their right length, Gambhir had picked the runs off, starting with a boundary off Chris Martin off the first ball. It was left armer Trent Boult, who had Gambhir under scrutiny with his line. In his fourth over, Gambhir tried to dab one down to third man, feet frozen at the crease, and was caught behind by van Wyk. It was the type of dismissal that Gambhir had fallen victim to several times on India's two nightmare away tours last season.

Sehwag, who had been surprisingly watchful at the start, hung on for seven overs before launching into his backfoot punch off Martin between point and cover. Off the very next ball, a glide it through slip and gully showed that he was ready to get going.

He had his moments of glitz, but his innings of 47 could best be described as chancy. A pull off Martin, when on 21, ballooned up to the charging Daniel Flynn from square leg. That he got a hand to the ball was astonishing in itself. In Sehwag's mano-a-mano contest against Doug Bracewell, he upper cut one over the cordon and two balls later got another boundary by scything one along the ground through slip and gully. Bracewell who had gone for 18 in just two overs until then, inticed the drive off Sehwag when on 35 and the fat edge flew through keeper Kruger Van Wyk and first slip Taylor.

The New Zealand bowlers had taken their time to hit the lengths that allowed them to ask questions. After a first half hour of bowling slightly shortish, they reached the fuller inches that helped them extract whatever swing they could find with the new ball. Chris Martin had pegged Sehwag back on a couple of occasions, but it was Bracewell who eventually got his wicket, as a flashing cut shot flew to second slip Martin Guptill.