Shreyas Iyer scores 65 as India inch towards winning score, reach 167/7 at tea

Shreyas Iyers dream debut just got better as he followed his firstinnings hundred with a fine halfcentury under immense pressure as India survived a collapse to reach 167 for seven at tea on the fourth day of the opening Test against New ZealandIndias overall lead is already 216 which could well be a winning score as Iyer 65 off 125 balls forged two significant partnerships 52 for the sixth wicket with Ravichandran Ashwin 32 off 62 balls and 64 runs for the seventh wicket with Wriddhiman Saha 22 batting 69 balls who is also fighting to save his place in the teamThis was after standin captain Ajinkya Rahane and his deputy Cheteshwar Pujaras saga of failures continued as India were tottering at 51 for five in the morning session and then 103 for six when Ashwin left in the postlunch session But credit to Iyer who once again displayed steely temperament on the way to his second 50plus score in the match hitting eight fours and a huge six over long off against Will SommervilleHis best shot however was an inside out lofted drive off leftarm spinner Ajaz Patel It was a difficult shot that was perfectly executed It was followed with a square cut in the same over as Kane Williamson erred by bowling his spinners for way too long That was proved when Tim Southee removed Iyer at the stroke of tea when he tried to pull one that was drifting down leg sideCredit should also be given to Saha as he batted with an openchested stance compared to his usual sideon which reduces the pronounced neck movementWhile the pitch is still not an unplayable one Indias spinners might be able to defend anything above 180 as it is expected that a lot of balls will keep low even if there wont be much turn on offer However on the fourth morning Southee a practitioner of conventional swing bowling took a masterclass on how to bowl on an unresponsive Indian track classically setting up the battersBut before Southee got into the act Kyle Jamieson 136263 targeted Pujaras 22 off 33 balls ribcage getting one to rear up on this dead track and it brushed the India No 3s gloves into the hands of keeper Tom Blundell Rahane 4 off 15 balls is out of form and the world knows about that The best way to create pressure was to cut down on singles and for 13 balls he struggled to get a runThen a gorgeous inside out cover drive off Patel 153491 seemed to help him break the shackles However Patel who has looked way below Test class then produced his best delivery of the match An arm ball that was fired in with the angle caught Rahane plumb infront while he tried to play a forward defensive prodMayank Agarwal 17 did all the hardwork in the first hour but Southee 1523483 set him up with deliveries that came into him from good length spot as he played with a closed batfaceThen he pitched on the same spot and to Agarwals horror it shaped slightly away and he had committed to a closed batface The result was a regulation catch to Tom Latham in the second slip For Ravindra Jadeja 0 Southee used the width of the crease with an angular delivery that wrapped him on the pads At 51 for five Ashwin joined Iyer and played some attacking strokes including a straight drive off Southee to calm a tense dressing roomAlso Read IND vs NZ 1st Test Flop show by top order as India struggle at 845 at lunchThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever