Early blows leave India with a mountain to climb

Napier: Jesse Ryder reached 201 before New Zealand's declaration at 619 for nine wickets on Friday on the second day of the second Test against India.

India were in trouble at stumps in reply, with New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori claiming two wickets to reduce India to 79-3 after 23 overs. Vettori declared New Zealand's first innings with 90 minutes remaining in the second day's play at McLean Park.

Brendon McCullum scored 115, Vettori 55 and James Franklin 52, following Ross Taylor's 151 on the first day, as New Zealand, trailing 1-0 in the three-match series, compiled their third-highest test total.

Vettori joined the New Zealand attack after only nine overs and removed Virender Sehwag for 34 and night-watchman Ishant Sharma for 0, then took a catch from off-spinner Jeetan Patel to dismiss Gautam Gambhir for 16.

Ryder was the star of the day, however, resuming his innings at 137 not out and batting for just over eight hours to raise the third double century and third-highest score by a New Zealander against India.

The stocky left-hander, whose only other Test century (102) came two innings previously in the first innings of the first Test at Hamilton, was then out to the next ball, bowled off an inside edge by Zaheer Khan. His innings market the 15th Test double century by a New Zealand player.

Ryder was also out one ball after achieving his century in the Hamilton Test — won by India by 10 wickets — but in combination, across three innings in the series so far, has batted more than 13 hours for 324 runs.

He has now scored 50 or more in four of his last five Test innings — including two centuries — and has averaged 132 over a prolific period which began with his 89 in the first innings of the first Test against the West Indies in December.

At the end of his innings on Friday, he was averaging 64 with two centuries and four half-centuries in a Test career of only eight matches and 14 innings.

"I'm pretty much speechless," Ryder said. "I wasn't expecting to go out and score a double century. I just knuckled down and played my game and it came off. The last two days just showed we're capable of getting big totals."