AHMEDABAD: Jesse Ryder struck a remarkable 103 and shared a 194-run stand with debutant Kane Williamson to defy world number one India on the third day of the first Test against New Zealand on Saturday.
Ryder struck 10 fours and a six in his 205-ball knock while Williamson was equally impressive in making 87 not out as New Zealand reached 331-5 at stumps at the Sardar Patel Stadium in Ahmedabad. That left the visitors 156 runs adrift of India’s first-innings 487.
Ryder completed his third century – all of which have come against India – with a delightful four in the covers but was trapped lbw by Shanthakumaran Sreesanth one ball later in the day’s last over.
India’s bowlers struggled in unhelpful conditions, with a dodgy caught behind decision involving Williamson and a dropped catch of Ryder adding to their woes.
Williamson, who scored his maiden one-day century during New Zealand’s recent tour of Bangladesh, however showed remarkable application in his nearly five-hour stay at the wicket.
He even dealt calmly with a chest-high beamer from Sreesanth, which prompted Australian umpire Steve Davis to have a quiet word with the fast bowler. Ryder was dropped on 11 in the slips by Rahul Dravid, who failed to latch on to the catch on his right despite getting his fingers to the ball, the unlucky bowler being Sreesanth.
Injury-prone Ryder, playing his first Test in 15 months, was troubled by a strain in the calf and took the help of a runner in the latter part of his knock.
India’s spin duo Pragyan Ojha and Harbhajan Singh earlier removed McCullum (65) and Ross Taylor (56) shortly before lunch after they had put on 104 runs for the third wicket. McCullum, opening for the first time in Tests, completed his 17th Test half-century with a single in the covers after driving Sreesanth twice for fours.
Taylor provided good support to his partner, reaching his 10th Test fifty with a boundary off Harbhajan, but he fell soon after to the off-spinner, offering a simple catch at short mid-wicket to Venkatsai Laxman.
McCullum missed the chance to make a big score after being stumped by an alert Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who whipped off the bails with the batsman’s back foot on the line.
