Shortly afterwards, with the score on 192, he retired-out after scoring 59 runs (101 balls, seven fours) to give a chance to
Ambati Rayudu (49) to get a feel for the conditions. At the other end, Rahane too completed his half-century off 91 balls, with three fours and one six. (Seaming pitches may backfire Kiwis, says Chris Cairns)
With the Indian total past 200, he too walked off, having scored 60 runs off 97 balls (five fours, one six) and
Wriddhiman Saha (4) came out to bat. The Bengal wicket-keeper couldn't stay for long, as he was bowled by Jono Boult (1-74).
R Ashwin then came to the crease and put on 66 quick runs with Rayudu, playing some exotic shots on both sides of the wicket. Ashwin scored 46 runs, off 57 balls, with six fours and two sixes, and was the last batsman out four overs before the end.
The match meandered and finished in the 93rd over with Rayudu staying unbeaten on 49. He faced 93 balls and hit five fours, with
Bhuvneshwar Kumar (3), rounding up a decent outing with the bat for the visitors.
Brief Scores:
New Zealand XI: 262/9 declared
India: 313/7 declared in 93 overs (Ajinkya Rahane 60, Rohit Sharma 59, Rayudu 49, Ashwin 46; Ill Tugaga 1-56, Shawn Hick 1-8).
Updated on: February 03, 2014 13:01 IST
