New Zealand v India - Tour Match

New Zealand Cricket XI v Indians
Dunedin
3 Day Game
Umpires: BL Aldridge & SJ Woodward
Toss: NZC XI

NXC XI: *GT Dowling, BA Edgar, AH Jones, BF Hastings, MJ Greatbatch, V Pollard, +WK Lees, DJ Nash, AR MacGibbon, FJ Cameron, DR Hadlee.
Indians: SM Gavaskar, MH Mankad, M Amarnath, VS Hazare, M Azharuddin, *MAK Pataudi, Kapil Dev, DG Phadkar, +SMH Kirmani, L Amar Singh, S Venkataraghavan.

A highly accomplished innings of 160 from Kiwi left-hander Bruce Edgar dominated India's tour match, and a slow, low wicket at the University Oval ensured that the game petered out into a draw come the end of the third day. Edgar's 408 minute, 339 ball innings was a faultless display of batting craft, and the ease with which he handled the tourists' attack may well have propelled him towards a most unexpected Test debut on his home ground in Christchurch. The Indian bowling was tight, if nonthreatening, for the majority of the NZC XI's innings, but when India batted it was a different story, with both MacGibbon and Cameron extracting movement both in the air and off the pitch on their way to reducing the innings to a very shaky 90-6.

Azharuddin's 66 restored some Indian pride, but he was hobbling badly by the end of his innings, and is now rated at no better than 50/50 for the first Test. Phadkar and Kirmani both contributed useful knocks in the forties as India nudged past 200 on the final afternoon, and although a swift second innings declaration by Graham Dowling set the Indians a target of 154 in 22 overs, Gavaskar and Mankad were in no mood for a Twenty20-style chase and settled for the safe haven of a draw. India's top order will need to bat much better in the Tests than they did here if Pataudi's team are to be competitive in this series, and Blackcap fans must be fancying their team's chances of a first ever series win come the end of the third Test in Auckland.

Scores
NZC XI 1st Inns 352-8 dec. (Edgar 160, Pollard 55)
Indians 1st Inns 222-9 dec. (Azharuddin 66, Phadkar 41, Kirmani 40; MacGibbon 4-36)
NZC XI 2nd Inns 23-2 dec.
Indians 2nd Inns 30-1

MATCH DRAWN