Tom Latham scored an unbeaten half century to help New Zealand reach 135/3 at tea on day four of the second Test against India. New Zealand are chasing a target of 376 to win the Test with four sessions left to play.
Latham batted incredibly well in the second session, using his sound defensive technique and nimble footwork to flay both the spinners and pacers. He batted so well that it seemed all the demons in the pitch that had dismissed New Zealand for 204 in the first innings were all magically gone.
Unfortunately for the visitors, none of the other Kiwi batsmen could display the same patience and resilience. Martin Guptill and Henry Nicholls both started well before being dismissed by the Indian spinners, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, for 24 runs. Stand-in skipper Ross Taylor's misery in the series continued as he once again failed, being dismissed for four by Ashwin. At tea, Latham had Luke Ronchi, the only other genuine Kiwi batsman who has looked promising in this series, for company. An unlikely miracle is still 241 runs away.
In the first session, Wriddhiman Saha's second fifty of the match helped India post 263 before being bowled out.
