India beat New Zealand by 10 wickets in first Test

Hamilton: Gautam Gambhir and Rahul Dravid safely guided India to a comfortable 10-wicket victory over New Zealand on the fourth day of the first Test at Seddon Park on Saturday.

Gambhir finished on 30 not out, while Dravid was on eight after Harbhajan Singh had ripped through New Zealand's second innings with figures of six for 63 to set up the win.

The Indian offspinner had taken five wickets before tea and it was only a stubborn 76-run 10th wicket partnership between Brendon McCullum (84) and Iain O'Brien (14) that allowed the hosts to give India the small target to chase.

Needing to make at least 241 to force the Indians to bat a second time, New Zealand collapsed to 216 for eight at tea on the fourth day, still 25 runs short.

Harbhajan ripped through the Kiwis' batting, capturing five wickets for 45 runs before tea as the tourists closed in on their first Test victory on New Zealand soil since 1976.

McCullum and O'Brien, however, frustrated the Indian bowlers for 100 minutes and inched their way past the 241 to make the tourists bat again.

However, just as it seemed as if they could force the game into an unlikely fifth day, O'Brien was caught in close by Vangipurappu Laxman to give Harbhajan his sixth wicket.

McCullum then decided to hit out and after hitting left arm spinner Yuvraj Singh for four, attempted to repeat the shot two balls later only to top-edge a catch to Laxman to end the innings.

BACK FOOT

New Zealand were always up against it after losing six wickets in the very first session of the match on Wednesday and started the fourth day in deep trouble at 75-3.

Any hopes of a miracle appeared dashed when they lost Ross Taylor and Jesse Ryder in the morning to limp to lunch on 146-5 then three more wickets by tea.

Taylor batted for almost an hour for just four runs before his concentration gave way and he departed with the total on 110, deflecting a wide delivery from paceman Munaf Patel to Virender Sehwag at gully.

First innings centurion Ryder then tried to raise the tempo with a quick 21 off 27 balls, featuring two boundaries and a six, before he was trapped by Harbhajan.

Harbhajan was unlucky not to claim another wicket before lunch when Daniel Flynn edged behind on 55 but wicketkeeper and captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni dropped the chance.

Harbhajan had better luck after lunch, picking up all three wickets to fall in the middle session to complete his 23rd five-wicket haul in Tests.

He dismissed James Franklin for 14 when he ballooned a catch to Patel at point, then got rid of the stubborn Flynn for 67 when the batsmen got a thin edge on to his pad and the ball popped up for Gautum Gambhir at forward short-leg.

Dhoni made amends for dropping Flynn when he caught New Zealand skipper Daniel Vettori, who also made a hundred in the first innings, for 21.