Bowlers, openers put India in safe position on day2

India 178 for 2 (Sehwag 96, Gambhir 54) trail New Zealand 350 (Ryder 70, Zaheer 4-69, Harbhajan 4-76) by 172 runs

India found a happy medium between defence and attack, threw in some good fortune, and got themselves into a position to take charge of the Hyderabad Test. Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh attacked batsmen other than Jesse Ryder, against whom they limited the damage through in-and-out fields, and took out the last seven wickets for just 97 runs. Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir respected the swinging ball before repairing a scoring-rate - that had Sehwag at 2 off 23 balls - through a 160-run stand.However, like India did with the ball, New Zealand hung in even as Sehwag took 94 off the next 97 balls he faced. About half an hour before stumps, they removed both the openers to get some sort of handhold during their fall. Gambhir scored his first half-century in 10 months, the kind of scratchy innings that often marks return to form for big batsmen.The day couldn't accommodate the full quota of 90 overs, but had enough drama and turns. Zaheer, who had kept India in with two timely strikes on the first day, continued pulling New Zealand back. Bowling with the second new ball, he used the swing and the angles well, getting both his wickets lbw from round the wicket. He troubled Gareth Hopkins and Kane Williamson with swing from over the wicket, and then went round to deliver the finishing touches. Hopkins left alone the third ball he faced from the new angle, but it swung back, and would have hit the stumps but for the pad in the way. Williamson, though, had only himself to blame as he played across the line to a straight delivery.Ryder, struggling with the calf strain he carried from the first Test, added 48 runs off 56 balls to his overnight 22. However, India did well to dry up the runs elsewhere: the rest could manage only 25 while he was there. Seemingly not in a physical condition to run hard and manoeuvre strike, Ryder couldn't quite take charge with the lower order.Harbhajan provided the breakthroughs, getting Daniel Vettori lbw on the sweep, and Ryder with perhaps the best ball he has bowled in the series. With about 15 minutes to go to lunch, Harbhajan angled on in from round the stumps, and got it to turn away from middle and leg. The edge was lapped up by VVS Laxman at first slip, and five overs after the break, the innings duly ended, but not New Zealand's fight.

@Cricket Buzz