It took five matches, but a New Zealand batsman finally recorded a hundred on this tour. Kane Williamson
came to the crease in the first over and did not budge until the 43rd.
By that time he had 118 runs off 128 balls. The timing of his wicket
gave India an opening and they were able to restrict the total to 242
for 9 at the Feroz Shah Kotla.
Besides the fact that New Zealand have been unable to win a single match
on tour - they have struggled to win tosses too - plenty of challenges
came Williamson's way. Not least of which was his own body refusing to
cooperate. He began cramping up in the Delhi heat - and it became
contagious. His left forearm caught it first, then his right, and at one
point he couldn't even lift a bottle to drink. But when play resumed,
he smacked Hardik Pandya over his head to the long-on boundary.
In the past, when faced with such determination, India's bowlers have
been guilty of switching off. But there were two passages of play - the
middle overs and then the final ten - that they simply dominated.
And it was the result of a simple plan - go after Williamson's partners. Ross Taylor
was worked over so completely that it seemed like the ball had a
restraining order against the middle of his bat. When it was short and
wide, he'd get an inside edge. When it was down leg, he'd miss the
flick. He was trying to hit the ball so hard that on one occasion his
helmet nearly wobbled off. New Zealand had been chugging along before
his entry at the Feroz Shah Kotla - 70 runs between the 11th and 21st
over. They could only get 38 runs in the next ten overs, at the
culmination of which Taylor fell for 21 off 42 balls.
