Bhuvneshwar five-for floors NZ in gloom

New Zealand 128 for 7 (Bhunvneshwar 5-33) trail India 316 (Pujara 87, Rahane 77, Saha 54*, Henry 3-46) by runsScorecard and ball-by-ball details

In recent times, India’s fast bowlers have been limited to making token appearances at home. If there is swing in the air, they are kept on. If not, bring on the spinners and smother the opposition. Sometimes, even in helpful conditions, India’s quicks aren’t accurate enough and simply to stem the runs they are taken off. In Kolkata, on a pitch offering variable bounce, it was Bhuvneshwar Kumar yanking the game India’s way with a five-wicket haul.

New Zealand would feel aggrieved they went to stumps at 128 for 7 because they lost three of their wickets – including captain Ross Taylor’s – when conditions were at their worst. There had been an hour and half’s break due to rain. It was very overcast when play resumed. The light had faded and the ball, apart from swinging and seaming, was keeping quite low. Essentially, a red carpet for Bhuvneshwar.

Play resumed at 4 pm. There was one cursory over of spin before the quicks came back. Mohammed Shami got one to trampoline from back of a length. It beat the edge. Taylor flashed a wry smile. Bhuvneshwar made one hold its line. It took the edge. Taylor flashed a wry smile and was walking back. Mitchell Santner was trapped lbw by a short one that crept through. Next ball, Bhuvneshwar hit Matt Henry’s off stump to complete his second five-for in three Tests and his first one at home.

It helped that India had 316 on the board, when New Zealand’s innings began in the morning session. Shami trapped Tom Latham in front with an inswinger from around the wicket. Bhuvneshwar had the luckless Martin Guptill bowled off his elbow; it was the seventh successive time in Test cricket he had been dismissed by one of the two …

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