Opener Gautam Gambhir scored a magnificent 167 to close the door of New Zealand's faint hopes of saving the series in the third and deciding cricket Test here Sunday.
India were 531 runs ahead of New Zealand and had reached 349 for five in their second innings when bad light stopped play on the third day at the Basin Reserve.
Gambhir and Rahul Dravid put on 170 runs in a second-wicket partnership. Dravid- The Wall-, brought up his 57th half century in uncharacteristically flamboyant style, hitting Southee for consecutive fours behind square and through mid-wicket.
The partnership ended soon after lunch with Dravid's dismissal for a patient 60. The New Zealand wicketkeeper –Brandin McCullum-saw Dravid was shaping for a paddle-sweep shot off Vettori and moved quickly across to the leg side, where he was in a perfect position to take the catch.
But after the cheap dismissal of Sachin Tendulkar for nine, VVS Laxman joined Gambhir to add another 106 runs for the fourth wicket.
The 27-year-old Gambhir batted for nearly seven hours for his sixth Test century, hitting 16 fours and two sixes in a nearly faultess display.
He brought up his hundred by stroking Tim Southee through the covers for a boundary in the second over after lunch and smashed the next ball through the gully for another four.
New Zealand captain and left-arm spinner Daniel Vettori captured two wickets in the eight overs after lunch.
Iain O'Brien took the vital wicket of Gambhir in the first over of his new spell, trapping him lbw after a slightly angled shortish ball straightened on the batsman.
O'Brien struck again in his next over with an in-swinging ball of good length going between Laxman's bat and pad to smash into the stumps.
Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni was not out 16 and Yuvraj Singh was on 15 at stumps.
New Zealand have been on the back foot since Saturday, when they were dismissed cheaply for 197 in reply to India's first innings total of 379.
The tourists lead the series 1-0 and need only a draw from this final Test to ensure their first series win in New Zealand since 1968, with only weather likely to save New Zealand from a heavy loss.
Scoreboard
India 1st innings 379
New Zealand 1st innings 197
India 2nd innings
G. Gambhir lbw O'Brien 167
V. Sehwag c Taylor b Martin 12
R. Dravid c McCullum b Vettori 60
S. Tendulkar c Taylor b Vettori 9
VVS Laxman b O'Brien 61
Y. Singh not out 15
MS Dhoni not out 16
Extras lb 5, nb 4 9
Total for 5 wkts, 97.5 overs 349
Fall of wkts 1-14, 2-184, 3-208, 4-314, 5-319
Bowling
Southee 12-2-58-0, Martin 15.5-5-50-1, O'Brien 22-6-77-2, Franklin 13-3-50-0, Ryder 6-1-21-0, Vettori 29-4-88-2
Series: India lead 1-0
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