Ind NZ T2 Day 3 Stumps: Harbhajan Singh Steals Show After NZ Fight Back

Harbhajan Singh and Zaheer Khan played a stellar role in restricting New Zealand in the course of the second day's play. But Harbhajan Singh is taking his job very seriously as his bat has perhaps rescued India in this match; that would be two times in succession.

harbhajan singh sreesanth

New Zealand found themselves in a good place on the back of Martin Guptill and Tim McIntosh. However, Jesse Ryder could only stretch the first innings total so much at the Rajiv Gandhi stadium in Uppal, Hyderabad as he scored seventy runs despite Harbhajan Singh and Zaheer picking up four wickets apiece in the New Zealand team's 350.

That though began to sound hollow in the manner in which Virender Sehwag played attacking cricket at the end of the third day's play with Gautam Gambhir kicking himself back into form. Sehwag's only real moment of recklessness came in the manner of his dismissal, again on the verge of a century, for ninety-six. Ironically his opening partner, Gautam Gambhir, followed him but with a half century that would have done him some good amidst a great deal of concern over his form.

The next part of India's fightback came in the dogged partnership between Rahul Dravid and V.V.S. Laxman. Laxman reigned supreme once more in his seventy-four while Dravid's forty-five was timely. But once again there was a twist in the tale as Daniel Vettori and Tim Southee brought New Zealand back into the picture and within a whisker of overhauling New Zealand's total, India lost three wickets.

But there is one man in this series who could walk away with the Man of the Series and it would have nothing to do with the wickets he takes. Harbhajan Singh came out to bat and after a couple of decent strokes, one began to wonder if this was indeed the century man from the first Test as he heroically saved the Test for India along with Laxman.

Bizarre shots came off his bat, and there was no Laxman to pat him down. Instead Sehwag seemed on Harbhajan's mind and his dismissal seemed a matter of time. But count on Bhajji to defy logic, time and New Zealand. Once more runs flowed and as New Zealand eyed the final two wickets, Harbhajan Singh was eying his second successive Test century. Sreesanth's presence at the crease may well force Harbhajan Singh to take the aerial route once more on the fourth day morning, batting on eighty-five but his dramatic return and New Zealand's exasperation would be evident in India's eighty-six run lead.