Dravid bats New Zealand out
Rahul Dravid's broad defensive bat when New Zealand bowled well, and quicker accumulation when they didn't, crushed the fight the visitors put up in the morning session with three wickets for 32 runs. Along with a quicker and more urgent MS Dhoni, Dravid added 193 runs. Although Dravid missed out on a double-century, he ruled out a New Zealand win and left themselves two days and 13 overs to force a result.
A day after his mates successfully entered cricket administration in Karnataka, Dravid scored his second century of the series, an innings during which he became progressively more fluent even as cramps hampered his movements.
Dravid's wasn't an innings that will be remembered for its stroke-play. In fact he was still looking for the optimum touch on his shots, especially his trademark cut that is now tending to go straight to fielders. It was his other virtue that stood out. He defended swinging deliveries with a straight bat, tiring and frustrating the bowlers, and when they strayed Dravid played. The pull to move to 86, off an attempted bouncer from Andy McKay, stood out.
However, New Zealand were not getting an inch from Dravid and had to attack Dhoni, who took advantage of close fields through an early counterattack. They weren't the prettiest of shots - the cut over extra cover, the back-foot whip past mid-on - but they were effective: as Dhoni scored 35 off 48, he allowed Dravid to take time - 56 balls in fact - to move from 86 to 100. Dravid's reaction - he held his bat aloft for the second of the two he ran to get to 100 - showed he had had to work hard for this one.
After lunch, Dravid upped his scoring rate and Dhoni settled in for a big knock, and thus both went at a similar pace. Just before and after tea, though, both the batsmen struggled with mobility, ambling for their runs.
Dravid, though physically tired, looked fresh still, hitting three boundaries in five balls as Harbhajan Singh opened his account. Perhaps the fatigue was getting to him as he went for a six when on 191 - his first attempt at clearing the infield - and found long-on with a mis-hit.