Down and all out about 50 minutes before lunch on the third day, the only thing they could have hoped for was a twist in the tale: New Zealand provided that by refusing to enforce the follow on, and kill the game at exactly the half-way stage.
India, like they have often done, melted into a huddle on the edge of the boundary and emerged a recharged outfit; Mohammed Shami embodied that transformation to bowl full and fast, fierily and furiously. The others maintained that tempo and aggression, and they all fielded with alacrity, even snapping up tough, spectacular catches.
In less than three hours, the complexion of the game changed, with even victory rising as a possibility from the clutches of a near-certain defeat; an alarmed Kiwi line-up got bundled out for a mere 105 runs, in just 41.2 overs for an aggregate of 406 runs. With two days still to go, India might well fancy their chances now.
Of course, only half the battle has been won at this moment: by close of play, India were 87 for 1. Murali Vijay was the unlucky batsman to go, after being ruled caught behind by the umpire; Shikhar Dhawan, though, enjoyed all the luck, surviving 25 testing overs. A half-chance, thin edges and streaky boundaries guided him to an unbeaten 49.
If he can build on this, India will count their blessings and switch to fast forward mode on a Super Sunday; after all, Cheteshwar Pujara (22) was out with him, looking as composed as ever. But 320 more is still a tall order, with one or two wickets often devolving into panic.
Resuming the day on 130 for 4, still 373 behind, India needed a good start; but after wading through the initial danger, Rahane fell after adding just three runs to his overnight 23. Six deliveries later, Rohit Sharma (72) too was on his way back. MS Dhoni didn't survive long and the rest threw their bats around.
In 21 overs, New Zealand had taken the six wickets, with Wagner returning with four for 64; Brendon McCullum, perhaps wary of a possible chase in the last innings, chose to bat again even though his bowlers would not have been too tired.
A fiery Shami effected the breakthrough in the first over itself, and followed it up with another in his very next; Zaheer Khan, meanwhile, was slowly building up to a rhythm to exert pressure on the batsmen. But Jadeja stole their thunder with two acts of brilliance.
First, he dived full-length to his right to catch the ball just before it hit the ground; it was a one-handed stunner, and he rolled over in delight to end Kane Williamson's golden run. Then, in the over before lunch, he raced behind the ball like a hare, glided next to it, picked it up, turned and hurled it towards the non-striker's end. Ishant Sharma was at hand to break the wickets.
McCullum, after a masterful double in the first innings, was caught short and New Zealand's men in form were back in the pavilion. At 15 for four, they were clearly heading towards implosion. It was a question of maintaining the pressure after that, and the Indian bowlers did that brilliantly as a unit.
Numbers Game
4: Number of times a target of 400 or more has been achieved in Tests - once each by West Indies, South Africa, Australia and India. The only time India successfully chased more than 400 was 406 for four vs West Indies in 1975-76 Port of Spain Test.
5: Number of times India have dismissed five batsmen in their opponent's innings for 25 runs or less in Tests - once each against Australia, West Indies, Pakistan, Zimbabwe and now New Zealand.
17: Number of wickets bagged by the Indian pacers in the Auckland Test. This is 7th instance when at least 17 wickets have been claimed by them in a Test match. The Indian record is 18: vs South Africa (Durban, 1996-97), West Indies (Bridgetown 1996-97) & Sri Lanka (Kandy, 2001).
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