India v New Zealand: A classic that wasn't

On day three of the series, New Zealand came face to face with the enormity of the task that is playing India in India on turning pitches. Against much better - crucially, much more experienced - spinners, on a track that had become much more difficult than in the first innings, New Zealand's batsmen did a lot of things right. In fact, they batted much better than India did in their first innings, and even denied India when they got on their first roll, but they still ended up conceding a 56-run lead, which is good as 150 when you have to bat last on such a pitch.

Before that final collapse, for 90 overs, we had a near perfect innings featuring two excellent spinners at the top of their game, bowling in their own conditions against batsmen using every sinew of discipline, technique and awareness to counter them. As it happens in such contests, the errors were few and far between. There was a passive attempt by a batsman here, a freebie on the pads there, but quite a few spells of play deserved to be part of a classic; they were denied that distinction by the eventual 56-run deficit.

Martin Guptill defied low expectations by taking a toll on the fast bowlers when the ball was new, and then starting off well against spin. At first, Ravindra Jadeja had long-off back for him, doubting if Guptill could score without going aerial. Guptill waited, took singles, and forced Jadeja to bring the fielder up. Aware that he had to score too because there weren't going to be too many scoring opportunities, Guptill went over mid-off immediately. Then the fielder went back, and he started taking singles again.

As can often happen, Guptill worked hard against the threatening bowlers, and dropped his guard against pace, which normally serves mainly as relief for the spin bowlers - and the batsmen. Guptill played across the line of an Umesh Yadav delivery and paid the price. The lbw call was touch and go, but would likely have returned an "umpire's call" verdict had DRS been available and called upon.

Kane Williamson and Tom Latham then put up a masterclass much like Cheteshwar Pujara and M Vijay had. They picked the length early, they moved decisively, either well forward or right back, they swept the right lines, and they didn't let Jadeja run through his overs. This should not be confused with what India complained about. India complained about the comfort breaks; this was more about making Jadeja wait till they were ready. While it may not make that much of a difference, it doesn't let Jadeja dictate the pace. The bigger difference was their techniques.

India began with in-out fields, looking to see if the batsmen had the patience and the skill to score runs without lofting the ball. They also wanted to keep a lid on the scoring while the partnership was on because they knew on this pitch one could bring many. New Zealand passed that test. Ones and twos kept coming. R Ashwin didn't get to bowl more than six balls in a row at one batsman. There were no traps being laid.

On the third morning, the fields changed. Anil Kumble, India's coach, asked Jadeja and Ashwin to make sure the ball was ending up on the stumps. That is typical Kumble. He made a career out of balls ending up on the stumps. The fields changed too. Singles dried up. Ashwin now bowled 11 straight balls at Latham. He wouldn't need more. The 11th was an offbreak that didn't turn. After all the hard work, Latham, who played for a marginal amount of turn was beaten on the inside edge.

Williamson fell to the pitch, a massive offbreak from well outside the off, accompanied by an explosion off the pitch and low bounce. He stayed back, he didn't open the face, but it still spun past his defence. Having lost three wickets in four overs, New Zealand were in danger of conceding a huge lead, but Luke Ronchi and Mitchell Santner were about to arrest the collapse.

Ronchi showed enterprise, Santner defence. India threw the bait. Jadeja and Ashwin bowled with no point to Ronchi. At every ball slightly short of driving length, Ronchi would go back, but not go ahead with the cut shot if it wasn't there for the taking. Once he even left an Ashwin offbreak alone after shaping to cut. For the first five overs of the partnership, there was nothing. The batsmen were in the bowlers' sights. There were close calls. The pressure - and anticipation of the spinners - was palpable.

Then, bowling his eighth straight over of the morning, Ashwin blinked. Ronchi was 8 off 28, Santner 1 off 18, the partnership 3 off 32. A slight drop in length was all Ronchi needed, and he was all over it. Ashwin's next three overs went for 19. The tide was turning. India's advantage had come down to 121. Ashwin was taken off. Against Yadav, there were few problems. By the time Ashwin came back, the deficit was down to 111, and there were 36 minutes to go to lunch. This was a crucial 36 minutes. New Zealand had more to lose because India could easily take three wickets in those 36 minutes.

Ashwin dropped another ball short. Santner picked up another boundary. Rohit Sharma was tried for an over. He conceded a four too. With the lead under 100, just before the start of the 80th over, Ajinkya Rahane had a word with Jadeja, who went over the wicket to change the angle. Now was the time for the umpire to make an error. As a rule, you don't give lbws for left-arm bowlers to right-hand batsmen unless the ball has turned back or straightened or it is so full there is no time for the angle to take it past the stumps. Ronchi swept, had a stride in, but was given out lbw.

Santner continued to concentrate hard and take Ashwin on. The way he hit two boundaries after stepping out to Ashwin was pure class. Down the pitch, not worried about the stumping while he was, right to the pitch of the ball, using his levers not power to chip over mid-off and back over Ashwin's head.

Just after lunch India made a mistake. Five overs of pace were not just mental relief but offered two free leg-side fours and a third that could have been, and a half-volley that Santner drove beautifully back past the bowler.

Not for the first time a New Zealand batsman was looking like he could play a blinder despite the obvious disadvantages they face when playing in India. They were against spinners who were at the top of their game on a pitch that one of them, Jadeja, termed as similar to the "underprepared" ones he has played all his domestic cricket on. They didn't know which way Jadeja was turning the ball so they had to pick the length early and play him off the pitch. Still, they had come within 67 of India's first-innings score with five of their wickets standing.

This time Ashwin produced the special delivery. Going over the wicket, changing the angle, spinning one big, taking the edge of Santner's bat for an extraordinary catch for Wriddhiman Saha. This was a thick edge. Saha had to follow the ball quite quickly. It stuck in the webbing. Another potential classic was nipped in the bud. The fact that so much mental energy was spent and it was still in the bud shows you how difficult it is when these two spinners bowl for almost two sessions and their errors can be counted on your hands. Jadeja then ran through the tail.

While you appreciated India's skill and composure even as New Zealand got closer and closer, you felt a little sorry for New Zealand. They had zero rub of the green. They lost the toss, another umpire might have given Rohit out on 16 fewer than his eventual 35, and Ronchi definitely got a rough one to end a 49-run stand on a pitch where new batsmen found it extremely tough to bat.

These are not the things you budget for. You expect to win matches despite losing tosses. You expect to get over an umpiring call here or there. New Zealand certainly weren't complaining. These things are not in their control. What was in their control is for every batsman to follow his game plans; that Ross Taylor couldn't will hurt New Zealand the most. He had a platform coming in at 159 for 2, he held the potential of playing around with India's discipline with his unorthodox sweeps, but he made the biggest error. When you are not picking which way Jadeja is turning the ball, you want to pick the length early and either smother the turn or stay back to adjust. Taylor played passively, stayed on the crease, and was beaten on the inside edge. Batsmen who have followed the series between Sri Lanka and Australia will tell you that you don't want to be beaten on the inside edge.

It is a little harsh to single out Taylor based on a two-ball innings, his first in the series, but such is the nature of the beast when you haven't had enough acclimatisation to the kind of bowling you are facing and you are having to stretch every sinew to even think of parity with the favourites.