Black Caps in strong position

New Zealand restricted India 79 for three at stumps on day two after the hosts posted 619 for nine before declaring in the second Test.
Jesse Ryder highlighted the Black Caps superb first innings after reaching 201 runs to become New Zealand's 11th double-centurion.

Jeetan Patel and skipper Daniel Vettori also played their part after taking one and two wickets respectively after tea to put the hosts firmly in the driving seat.

Rahul Dravid finished the day unbeaten on 21 for India alongside Sachin Tendulkar, who has yet to score.

New Zealand had resumed this morning on 351 for four and Ryder and James Franklin set about building on that lead as they combined for 121.

Franklin needlessly became the only wicket to fall during the first session when he was run out after reaching his second Test half-century.

Ryder, who had resumed on 137, added 54 runs by lunch and brought up his maiden double ton with a pull shot past leg gully off Zaheer Khan shortly after lunch.

It was his 24th boundary in a superb innings that spanned over eight hours and also included one solitary six.

But just as he did when reaching his century in Hamilton, the big left-hander was dismissed the very next ball and was clearly furious with himself, slamming his bat into the floor and disconsolately walking off to a standing ovation from the McLean Park crowd.

His 201 was the third highest score by a New Zealander against India, sitting behind Graham Dowling's 239 and Bert Sutcliffe's unbeaten 230.

Khan fully deserved his wicket as he beat both Ryder and Brendon McCullum regularly in a fiery start to the afternoon session by the seamer.

Ryder's dismissal left New Zealand on 477 for six, having resumed on 448 for five after lunch.

Top Performer: Brendon McCullum

But an unbroken 115-run partnership between McCullum and Vettori had the Black Caps on a mammoth 592 for six at tea.

McCullum's half-century, which he brought up with his sixth boundary, came in just 60 balls and in the final over before tea he hit another boundary off the part-time bowling of Virender Sehwag to become the third centurion of the New Zealand innings behind Ross Taylor and Ryder.

His 103 took 131 balls and included 11 fours and when he reached three figures for the third time in his Test career he let out a huge shout of delight and raised both arms aloft.

Khan finished the session with figures of three for 129 off 34 overs, including six maidens.

New Zealand surpassed the 600 mark in the 151st over when Vettori smashed a four through covers for boundary that also brought up his 19th half-century.

But the Kiwi skipper was dismissed in the next over for 55 when he chopped on a delivery from Ishant Sharma before McCullum was dismissed for 115 when he smashed a Sharma delivery to deep point where Tendulkar made the catch.

It's all about numbers

By then, the hosts were 618 for eight and Iain O'Brien then picked up his one and only run before New Zealand declared after Jeetan Patel was out for one when Sharma caught well at midwicket from Harbhajan Singh's delivery.

India made a decent start in their reply with Sehwag in fine fettle as he hit five fours and a six before Vettori made a simple catch at mid-off to dismiss him for 34.

Gautam Gambhir followed suit not long after when he lobbed a catch to Vettori from Patel's delivery and Sharma was out for a duck in the penultimate over of the day when he was dismissed lbw from Vettori's delivery.