A tireless Ravichandran Ashwin, an incisive Mohammed Shami and an obdurate Ravindra Jadeja combined to land the knockout blow on a battling New Zealand as India regained their place at the top of Test summit in commanding fashion here on Monday.
Chugging along patiently like a marathon runner with the ultimate target in sight in punishing heat and humidity, Ashwin (3/83) broke through a dogged Kiwi top-order before Shami (3/46) opened up the wounds further with a riveting spell right after tea and Jadeja (3/41) added some magic of his own to power India to a crushing 178-run victory in the second Test at the Eden Gardens.
India thus crossed another milestone on a glorious note. While they won their 500th Test at Kanpur by 197 runs, they triumphed in their 250th home Test to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-Test series. The third game will be played at Indore from October 8-12.
India, starting the day with a lead of 339 runs, planned on extending their advantage as much as possible. Although the lead seemed insurmountable, the ploy was to frustrate the Kiwis and it worked well. Wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha (58 not out, 120b, 204m, 6x4) and Bhuvneshwar Kumar flung their bats around without any fear as the Indians kept the Kiwis on the field for an hour before their second innings ended at 263.
Set an improbable target of 376 runs, the question was how soon India can pack off the Black Caps who have found the sub-continent a hard place to visit. India, with their tails-up considering the Kiwis' frailties with the bat so far in this series, hoped to finish off the job by the fourth evening itself.
Kiwis — known to punch above their weight despite their limitations - made India's task difficult. Openers Tom Latham and Martin Guptill started off positively, focusing more on caution rather than extravagance.
With Bhuvneshwar and Shami not getting the same help from the pitch as they did in the first innings, it was hard labour as Latham and Guptill went about their job in workmanlike fashion. There were a few close appeals for leg-before but they looked largely untroubled, reaching lunch at 55/0.
Not for nothing has skipper Virat Kohli hailed Ashwin as the biggest match-winner he has in his ammunition. Seemingly refreshed after a bite, the Tamil Nadu offie struck in the first over after lunch to give India the opening they wanted. Guptill failed to read a nice and full ball, his pre-meditated forward defensive prod leaving him trapped leg-before.
Despite that blow, New Zealand motored on to make India sweat further. Latham (74, 148b, 207m, 8x4), batting with a changed plan, brought up his half-century while Matt Nicholls gave him good company as New Zealand went past the 100-run mark without further damage.
Ashwin's spin partner Ravindra Jadeja then created the second opening with a beautiful ball that angled across Henry and took the edge for Ajinkya Rahane to complete a simple catch. New Zealand then had Ross Taylor back in the hut, the stand-in skipper playing down the wrong line to be trapped leg-before by Ashwin.
There was no coming back from that double blow. Ashwin, bowling 28 overs on the trot — 22 from the Club House end before tea and six from the High Court end after it — packed off the well-set Latham.
Shami then took over the baton from Ashwin, trapping Mitchell Santner leg-before and casting BJ Watling, the second wicket a sizzler as the ball beat the outside edge of the wicketkeeper's bat before knocking out the off-stump.
In total disarray and staring at the inevitable, New Zealand's tail wagged fairly long but India, tigers at home having won 10 of their last 12 Tests, cut it off in the setting sun to add another win to that impressive list.
![]( "On top of the world: Indian skipper Virat Kohli (centre) exults after winning the second Test. With the win, India reclaimed top spot in Test rankings. AFP")
A tireless Ravichandran Ashwin, an incisive Mohammed Shami and an obdurate Ravindra Jadeja combined to land the knockout blow on a battling New Zealand as India regained their place at the top of Test summit in commanding fashion here on Monday.
Chugging along patiently like a marathon runner with the ultimate target in sight in punishing heat and humidity, Ashwin (3/83) broke through a dogged Kiwi top-order before Shami (3/46) opened up the wounds further with a riveting spell right after tea and Jadeja (3/41) added some magic of his own to power India to a crushing 178-run victory in the second Test at the Eden Gardens.
India thus crossed another milestone on a glorious note. While they won their 500th Test at Kanpur by 197 runs, they triumphed in their 250th home Test to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-Test series. The third game will be played at Indore from October 8-12.
India, starting the day with a lead of 339 runs, planned on extending their advantage as much as possible. Although the lead seemed insurmountable, the ploy was to frustrate the Kiwis and it worked well. Wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha (58 not out, 120b, 204m, 6x4) and Bhuvneshwar Kumar flung their bats around without any fear as the Indians kept the Kiwis on the field for an hour before their second innings ended at 263.
Set an improbable target of 376 runs, the question was how soon India can pack off the Black Caps who have found the sub-continent a hard place to visit. India, with their tails-up considering the Kiwis’ frailties with the bat so far in this series, hoped to finish off the job by the fourth evening itself.
Kiwis — known to punch above their weight despite their limitations - made India’s task difficult. Openers Tom Latham and Martin Guptill started off positively, focusing more on caution rather than extravagance.
With Bhuvneshwar and Shami not getting the same help from the pitch as they did in the first innings, it was hard labour as Latham and Guptill went about their job in workmanlike fashion. There were a few close appeals for leg-before but they looked largely untroubled, reaching lunch at 55/0.
Not for nothing has skipper Virat Kohli hailed Ashwin as the biggest match-winner he has in his ammunition. Seemingly refreshed after a bite, the Tamil Nadu offie struck in the first over after lunch to give India the opening they wanted. Guptill failed to read a nice and full ball, his pre-meditated forward defensive prod leaving him trapped leg-before.
Despite that blow, New Zealand motored on to make India sweat further. Latham (74, 148b, 207m, 8x4), batting with a changed plan, brought up his half-century while Matt Nicholls gave him good company as New Zealand went past the 100-run mark without further damage.
Ashwin’s spin partner Ravindra Jadeja then created the second opening with a beautiful ball that angled across Henry and took the edge for Ajinkya Rahane to complete a simple catch. New Zealand then had Ross Taylor back in the hut, the stand-in skipper playing down the wrong line to be trapped leg-before by Ashwin.
There was no coming back from that double blow. Ashwin, bowling 28 overs on the trot — 22 from the Club House end before tea and six from the High Court end after it — packed off the well-set Latham.
Shami then took over the baton from Ashwin, trapping Mitchell Santner leg-before and casting BJ Watling, the second wicket a sizzler as the ball beat the outside edge of the wicketkeeper’s bat before knocking out the off-stump.
In total disarray and staring at the inevitable, New Zealand’s tail wagged fairly long but India, tigers at home having won 10 of their last 12 Tests, cut it off in the setting sun to add another win to that impressive list.
Chugging along patiently like a marathon runner with the ultimate target in sight in punishing heat and humidity, Ashwin (3/83) broke through a dogged Kiwi top-order before Shami (3/46) opened up the wounds further with a riveting spell right after tea and Jadeja (3/41) added some magic of his own to power India to a crushing 178-run victory in the second Test at the Eden Gardens.
India thus crossed another milestone on a glorious note. While they won their 500th Test at Kanpur by 197 runs, they triumphed in their 250th home Test to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-Test series. The third game will be played at Indore from October 8-12.
India, starting the day with a lead of 339 runs, planned on extending their advantage as much as possible. Although the lead seemed insurmountable, the ploy was to frustrate the Kiwis and it worked well. Wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha (58 not out, 120b, 204m, 6x4) and Bhuvneshwar Kumar flung their bats around without any fear as the Indians kept the Kiwis on the field for an hour before their second innings ended at 263.
Set an improbable target of 376 runs, the question was how soon India can pack off the Black Caps who have found the sub-continent a hard place to visit. India, with their tails-up considering the Kiwis' frailties with the bat so far in this series, hoped to finish off the job by the fourth evening itself.
Kiwis — known to punch above their weight despite their limitations - made India's task difficult. Openers Tom Latham and Martin Guptill started off positively, focusing more on caution rather than extravagance.
With Bhuvneshwar and Shami not getting the same help from the pitch as they did in the first innings, it was hard labour as Latham and Guptill went about their job in workmanlike fashion. There were a few close appeals for leg-before but they looked largely untroubled, reaching lunch at 55/0.
Not for nothing has skipper Virat Kohli hailed Ashwin as the biggest match-winner he has in his ammunition. Seemingly refreshed after a bite, the Tamil Nadu offie struck in the first over after lunch to give India the opening they wanted. Guptill failed to read a nice and full ball, his pre-meditated forward defensive prod leaving him trapped leg-before.
Despite that blow, New Zealand motored on to make India sweat further. Latham (74, 148b, 207m, 8x4), batting with a changed plan, brought up his half-century while Matt Nicholls gave him good company as New Zealand went past the 100-run mark without further damage.
Ashwin's spin partner Ravindra Jadeja then created the second opening with a beautiful ball that angled across Henry and took the edge for Ajinkya Rahane to complete a simple catch. New Zealand then had Ross Taylor back in the hut, the stand-in skipper playing down the wrong line to be trapped leg-before by Ashwin.
There was no coming back from that double blow. Ashwin, bowling 28 overs on the trot — 22 from the Club House end before tea and six from the High Court end after it — packed off the well-set Latham.
Shami then took over the baton from Ashwin, trapping Mitchell Santner leg-before and casting BJ Watling, the second wicket a sizzler as the ball beat the outside edge of the wicketkeeper's bat before knocking out the off-stump.
In total disarray and staring at the inevitable, New Zealand's tail wagged fairly long but India, tigers at home having won 10 of their last 12 Tests, cut it off in the setting sun to add another win to that impressive list.
A tireless Ravichandran Ashwin, an incisive Mohammed Shami and an obdurate Ravindra Jadeja combined to land the knockout blow on a battling New Zealand as India regained their place at the top of Test summit in commanding fashion here on Monday.Chugging along patiently like a marathon runner with the ultimate target in sight in punishing heat and humidity, Ashwin (3/83) broke through a dogged Kiwi top-order before Shami (3/46) opened up the wounds further with a riveting spell right after tea and Jadeja (3/41) added some magic of his own to power India to a crushing 178-run victory in the second Test at the Eden Gardens.
India thus crossed another milestone on a glorious note. While they won their 500th Test at Kanpur by 197 runs, they triumphed in their 250th home Test to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-Test series. The third game will be played at Indore from October 8-12.
India, starting the day with a lead of 339 runs, planned on extending their advantage as much as possible. Although the lead seemed insurmountable, the ploy was to frustrate the Kiwis and it worked well. Wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha (58 not out, 120b, 204m, 6x4) and Bhuvneshwar Kumar flung their bats around without any fear as the Indians kept the Kiwis on the field for an hour before their second innings ended at 263.
Set an improbable target of 376 runs, the question was how soon India can pack off the Black Caps who have found the sub-continent a hard place to visit. India, with their tails-up considering the Kiwis’ frailties with the bat so far in this series, hoped to finish off the job by the fourth evening itself.
Kiwis — known to punch above their weight despite their limitations - made India’s task difficult. Openers Tom Latham and Martin Guptill started off positively, focusing more on caution rather than extravagance.
With Bhuvneshwar and Shami not getting the same help from the pitch as they did in the first innings, it was hard labour as Latham and Guptill went about their job in workmanlike fashion. There were a few close appeals for leg-before but they looked largely untroubled, reaching lunch at 55/0.
Not for nothing has skipper Virat Kohli hailed Ashwin as the biggest match-winner he has in his ammunition. Seemingly refreshed after a bite, the Tamil Nadu offie struck in the first over after lunch to give India the opening they wanted. Guptill failed to read a nice and full ball, his pre-meditated forward defensive prod leaving him trapped leg-before.
Despite that blow, New Zealand motored on to make India sweat further. Latham (74, 148b, 207m, 8x4), batting with a changed plan, brought up his half-century while Matt Nicholls gave him good company as New Zealand went past the 100-run mark without further damage.
Ashwin’s spin partner Ravindra Jadeja then created the second opening with a beautiful ball that angled across Henry and took the edge for Ajinkya Rahane to complete a simple catch. New Zealand then had Ross Taylor back in the hut, the stand-in skipper playing down the wrong line to be trapped leg-before by Ashwin.
There was no coming back from that double blow. Ashwin, bowling 28 overs on the trot — 22 from the Club House end before tea and six from the High Court end after it — packed off the well-set Latham.
Shami then took over the baton from Ashwin, trapping Mitchell Santner leg-before and casting BJ Watling, the second wicket a sizzler as the ball beat the outside edge of the wicketkeeper’s bat before knocking out the off-stump.
In total disarray and staring at the inevitable, New Zealand’s tail wagged fairly long but India, tigers at home having won 10 of their last 12 Tests, cut it off in the setting sun to add another win to that impressive list.