Leading to another draw!!!!

New Zealand 350 and 237 for 4 (McCullum 124*) lead India 472 (Harbhajan 111*, Sehwag 96, Laxman 74, Vettori 5-135) by 115 runs

At the end of the fourth day, New Zealand needed to bat out one-and-a-half to two sessions to achieve consecutive draws against India, and they had six wickets in hand. Brendon McCullum led their quest for safety with his third century in five Tests this year, but was also looking for a man to stand with him for long enough, after India kept their chances of a win alive with three wickets in the long final session.

McCullum used his dazzling stroke-play to spread the fields, an area where India were happy to oblige, and then defended resolutely. However, a mix of an ordinary umpiring decision, a careless shot, and a beauty from Suresh Raina less than half an hour from stumps left New Zealand and McCullum on the edge. Raina's sharp offbreak to get Jesse Ryder out for 20 was a completion of role-reversal after Harbhajan Singh achieved the unique feat of getting consecutive centuries from No. 8 but went wicketless for 23 overs.When New Zealand started their innings inside the first hour, trailing by 122, it was obvious they were the only team that could lose.India kept the pressure up, though, with timely wickets. Three of the four dismissals involved some umpiring drama. Tim McIntosh, one short of getting a century and a fifty in the Test immediately after he bagged a pair, was given caught bat-pad when he didn't seem to have touched the ball. Martin Guptill and Ross Taylor had to wait by the boundary rope as the umpires checked the legality of those deliveries, only to rule in favour of the bowlers, Pragyan Ojha and Sreesanth, on both occasions.McCullum, though, didn't give the umpires any chance to adjudicate, except for signalling xx fours and xx sixes. His calculated approach of attacking the new bowlers early made the job easier for McIntosh, who - like in first innings - didn't mind staying inconspicuous.McCullum's plan worked the best against Sreesanth, whom he cover-drove and upper-cut for boundaries in his first two overs, posting the first double-digit opening stand for New Zealand in five attempts. In Sreesanth's third over, he top-edged a pull from outside off, but it landed safe, the closest India came to dismissing him. Sreesanth began trying too hard, bowling three no-balls in the first spell of four overs, cutting the side crease once. Both openers then negotiated him with ease.

@Cricket Buzz