Ind vs NZ: Ross Taylor turns the tide against India on Day 1 of second Test

BANGALORE: The rains stayed away until the end, but the runs that had dried up for New Zealand began to flow again on Day One of the second Test. The Kiwi resurgence was led by skipper Ross Taylor, who struck a brutal 113 from 127 deliveries. Scorecard| Match in PicsOnThursday, Taylor had talked of being brave and courageous and on a cloudy day,with the floodlights on for the most part, he sparkled and walked the talk. AsNZ opted to bat first, his knock allowed the side to end the curtailed day - 8.3overs were lost to bad light and rain - on 328/6.Also, it wasn't aone-man show where only Taylor dominated with his 16 boundaries and two sixes ina 177-minute thrashing of the Indian attack. Before and after, New Zealand thrived through opener Martin Guptill (53; 79b, 8x4) and later through the unseparated seventh-wicket pair of Kruger Wan Wyk (batting on 63; 85b, 9x4) and Doug Bracewell (batting on 30; 61b, 9x4). Bracewell survived theaxe that fell on Chris Martin, who was replaced by Tim Southee.Till Taylor happened, though, the script again seemed tilted towards a day of Indian domination. Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni opened the bowling with Pragyan Ojha, making it the first time that an Indian spinner has bowled the first ball of a Test. And when the final ball of Ojha's second over bounced andturned enough to shock Guptill into edging past a diving Sehwag for NewZealand's first runs, everyone thought the Kiwis would lose the spin battleagain. It was pace, though, in the form of a Zaheer Khan specialthat got the hosts their first wicket as Brendon McCullum was trapped in frontfor a duck. Ojha then had a comfortable-looking Kane Williamson leg-before asthe batsman played for the turn that wasn't.Then the Kiwi dominationstarted, with Taylor in full flight. Favouring the slog sweep as is his wont andunafraid to loft the ball through and over cover, he simply waded into thebowling. Had Guptill not thrown it away, playing a poor shot to beeasily caught at midwicket off Ojha, the 63-run association could have been thehighlight of the day. Instead it was the Taylor-Daniel Fynn fourth-wicket standthat took centrestage, Taylor, of course, dominated by making 70-odd runs as theleft-handed Flynn contributed a good 33.Those who live by the swordtend to perish by it though and so it was with Taylor and Flynn who both fellattempting the slog sweep once too often. The Kiwi skipper fell to Ojha andFlynn to offie R Ashwin for his only success.In his time at thecrease, Taylor, who took a particular liking to Ojha and pacer Umesh Yadav -easily the poorest bowler on the day - did enough and more to entertain his fansin Bangalore.The 4,000-odd people seated in the ChinnaswamyStadium's gallery stand near the midwicket area - Taylor's favourite zone - evengave him a standing ovation when he completed his century, one which hecelebrated with a six over extra cover off Ojha.The Kiwis do havetheir task cut out as yet for the pitch is playing nice and true as indicated bythe batsmen from Guptill to Van Wyk, who got his maiden Test fifty on the day,even driving on the up. They need to make in the region of 450 to 500 to put thepressure on the Indians.Saturday's play will start at 9 am in anattempt to make up for lost time.