Scorecard | In Pics: Kiwis beat India
A group of Indian fans, who kept the tension away by their cadent chants and funny quips, plunged into disbelieving silence as a potentially monumental chase degenerated into a parody of errors; India palpably on top at 222 for two shrunk to 270 for six in the space of 20 overs, to squander a brilliant fightback, and an inspiring batting display.
A stunning, almost suicidal, counter-attack by Ravindra Jadeja and Mahendra Singh Dhoni fetched 54 runs in 27 minutes after that; it kept the contest tantalisingly alive and, probably, New Zealand sweating in their socks; but Jadeja, driven by over-confidence, played a self-destructive and self-defeating shot to leave India panting at 324 for seven.
Pressure all around reached exploding point, with 83 still needed; Dhoni surprisingly gave the bulk of the strike to Zaheer Khan instead of leading the charge; the pacer looked like a confused rabbit but still clubbed a six and a four. It was, however, a matter of time before he would implode.
Two overs later, Dhoni dragged a well-disguised slower bouncer into his stumps and India had bungled another pursuit, falling so near despite coming so far; eventually, they lost by 40 runs, chasing a demanding 406, to reduce a positively exhilarating day into a crushing one. They couldn't have turned it around into a more engaging contest; they couldn't have thrown it away in a worse way.
New Zealand held on to their nerves whenever they threatened to run away for a remarkable victory; their bowlers kept steaming away with fire and intent, to pluck out the nine wickets needed on the fourth day of this amazing Test. Neil Wagner was outstanding as he effected a breakthrough every time the match seemed to be slipping away from them, to finish with four for 62.
When the day began, under bright and sunny conditions, India still had a mountain to climb; at 87 for one, they had an outside chance, especially as the wicket was perfect to bat on, and they had depth in the line-up. But history has shown that big fourth-innings targets are as tough to catch as smoke.
It began ominously with Cheteshwar Pujara being prised out by an immaculate Tim Southee (three for 86) outswinger; overnight batsman Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli spent the next hour groping for runs, as Wagner joined Southee to keep them on a tight leash.
Dhawan had, however, kept his aggression locked in the dressing room, and watchfully played himself back into form; Kohli, on the other, was rock-solid, waiting to pounce on loose balls. As Brendon McCullum turned to Ish Sodhi, the balance tilted in India's favour, though imperceptibly; boundaries came at a faster clip and by lunch they were 182 for two. 225 to go.
But after 25 minutes, Kohli (67: 12x4) played his first bad stroke: a pull to a short ball pitched outside the off stump; wicketkeeper Watling jumped at it gleefully, even as Wagner couldn't contain himself. The spell had been broken; Dhawan's concentration, however, stayed intact and he completed his second century in six Tests; just as he was settling down for the long haul, however, Wagner produced a staggering bouncer.
Dhawan (115: 211b, 12x4, 1x6) almost extricated himself but was betrayed by his glove; New Zealand grabbed the new ball as soon as it became due, and they were immediately rewarded by umpire Steve Davis: he didn't see Rahane nick it before it crashed into his pads. Next over, Rohit Sharma dabbed at an outswinger and India were suddenly on thin ice.
Jadeja and Dhoni decided to go on the offensive, and the move almost paid off; New Zealand were clearly rattled as they abandoned caution. The target seemed reachable but Jadeja, then, tried to clobber Boult over long on and only managed to reach mid-on.
The monster wave had lost most of its fury by then; it reduced to a trickle when Dhoni too got out, about 10 overs later.
Numbers Game:
115: Number of runs scored by Shikhar Dhawan in India's second innings. He's the 4th Indian opener to get a century in the fourth innings of a Test. He emulated Sunil Gavaskar (four centuries), Mushtaq Ali and Wasim Jaffer (one ton each).
11: Number of away defeats suffered by India under MS Dhoni out of 22 Tests (won five and drawn six). It's the most by an Indian skipper. MAK Pataudi (10 out of 13), Mohd Azharuddin (10 out of 27) & Sourav Ganguly (10 out of 28) share the dubious record for second place.
9: Number of dismissals effected by BJ Watling. He matched McCullum's tally of nine (8 catches + one stumping) vs Pakistan in the 2009-10 Napier Test. In India's second innings, he snared six victims (all caught) thus making him the first 'keeper to effect six dismissals in the fourth innings.
8: Number of wickets claimed by Neil Wagner while conceding 126 runs - his best effort in Tests. In the process, he surpassed his previous-best of seven for 116 against Bangladesh in Mirpur last year. In 13 Tests so far, he has accounted for 47 wickets at an average of 34.17.
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