McCullum's double ton powers New Zealand to victory
Brendon McCullum's double century helped New Zealand beat India by a 40-run margin in the first Test match played in Auckland.
The New Zealand captain came to the crease with his side struggling at 30 for 3 in 18 overs. McCullum and Kane Williamson then dropped anchor and counterattacked India's bowlers.
The pair scored aggressively from the start and added 221 runs in 51 overs. The stand helped the hosts grab the initiative from the visitors.
Both players made the most of the lack of pace from India's bowlers and pulled, cut and slapped anything short to the boundary. McCullum was the first to reach a hundred, off 135 balls, with a powerful drive over long-on off Ravindra Jadeja. He hit the same bowler for a boundary, just before lunch, on the second day to reach his double century.
McCullum's hundred was his eighth in Tests and his third against India. It was his second double-hundred and his highest Test score as New Zealand captain.
During his innings, he also went past Nathan Astle's 4702 runs to become the fourth-highest Test run-scorer for New Zealand.
The McCullum-Williamson stand set the tone of the match and helped the hosts post 503 in the first innings. India managed just 202 in reply. New Zealand crumbled to just 105 in their second innings. India's batsmen improved in the second innings, but they fell short of the 407-run target by 40 runs.
"It was a matter of trying to work out the ebbs and flows of the game, when to push, when to pull, when to attack at times and defend at other times," McCullum said. "Whilst we didn't ram home the advantage we had in the second innings with the bat, I thought we showed a lot of heart and a lot of character to continue to bash away and keep fighting hard and get the result in the end. So I am immensely proud of all the boys. Neil Wagner in particular was outstanding."
Dhoni said that he was happy with his bowlers' performances in the Test.
"I don't think we batted really well in the first innings. Second innings, quite a few of our batsmen batted really well. One of the best that I have seen our bowlers bowl. Especially on a good wicket. They kept it tight, bowled wicket-taking deliveries at the same time."