India looks for series win; NZ looks to learn

New Zealand will attempt to bridge a broad gulf of experience between itself and the Indian cricket team in the second Test match starting at Napier on Thursday. 

India won the first Test by 10 wickets and seems set, with the help of its deeply experienced and prolific batting lineup, to press on for its first series win in New Zealand in 41 years. 

The yawning gap in the experience of the Indian and New Zealand batsmen was obvious during the first Test at Seddon Park, Hamilton. While India, led by Sachin Tendulkar's 160, batted for 152.4 overs to score 520 in its first innings and take charge of the match, New Zealand batted for only 78 overs in the first innings and 102 in the second, out for 279 on both occasions. 

The Kiwi batsmen lacked the ingrained discipline and ability of their Indian rivals to bat for long periods of time, which is the cornerstone of Test cricket. 

Daniel Flynn's 289-minute innings of 67 in the second innings was the longest played by any New Zealand batsman in the match, while first innings century-makers Daniel Vettori and Jesse Ryder and second innings top-scorer Brendon McCullum (84) were the only other Kiwis to bat for more than two hours. 

Tendulkar batted 400 minutes for his 160 while his teammates Gautam Gambhir (174 minutes for 72) and Rahul Dravid (183 minutes for 66) also showed the ability to occupy the crease for long periods. 

New Zealand's batsmen will attempt to apply some of that discipline in the second Test, taking a leaf from India's book, in the hope of reducing some of the disparity between the teams. 

"You couldn't even begin to compare the status of our players with theirs," McCullum was quoted saying. "I guess (Sachin) Tendulkar, (Rahul) Dravid and (V.V.S.) Laxman have been in every situation you can be as a batsman. We're going out there trying to learn situations as they unfold.” 

"It can be tough but we've also got the blueprint to follow when we're out there. It's staring us in the face every time they bat." 

The gulf between India's top six batsmen and New Zealand's top order is almost immeasurable. 

For India, Virender Sehwag (67 Tests), Gambhir (23), Dravid (132), Tendulkar (157), Laxman (103) and Yuvraj Singh have jointly amassed 508 Test appearances while New Zealand's top six can claim only 60. 

Of those, 49 are shared by James Franklin (24), Ross Taylor (15) and Flynn (10). 

The Indian batsmen have 103 Test centuries among them; the New Zealanders only six. 

McCullum said New Zealand could not expect to match India's experience but could use it as an example. 

"If we can maintain a little bit of faith in the guys we've got here, I think we've got an incredible skill base within a pretty young side," he said. "There are areas we can improve on. If India are not quite at their best it gives us a way that we can hopefully steal a march on them." 

New Zealand will also rely on its bowlers to produce a better collective performance than at Hamilton, where they shared nine Indian wickets - Virender Sehwag was run out. Most conspicuously out of form were Kyle Mills, who took one wicket for 119 in the match and Franklin - filling a critical all-rounder's role - who took none for 98. 

Former India coach John Wright, now a New Zealand selector, emphasized New Zealand must try to learn from their opponents. 

"You learn as much about players as you do coaches, even if they're opposition players," he said. "Cricket's like any sport, you study it; you look for what other blokes do. Everyone's a bit different but there are always fundamentals." 

India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni wanted to capitalize on the victory in the first Test to complete a series win, it’s first in New Zealand since 1968. Its Test win in Hamilton was India's first in New Zealand since 1976. 

"One of the first milestones we have achieved is to take the lead, now it's important to play the same kind of cricket in the second and third game," he said.