tea India 46 and 57 for 0 (Jaiswal 29*, Rohit 27*) Trail New Zealand 402 (Ravindra 134, Conway 91, Southee 65, Jadeja 3-72) for 299 runs

Mohammed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah kept New Zealand honest in the first 10 overs of the day with accurate bowling and light nibbling in every direction. They got the outside edges of Daryl Mitchell and Tom Blundell for their troubles before Glenn Phillips and Matt Henry came out swinging, missing straight balls from Ravindra Jadeja to lose their middle stumps.

Phillips's approach in particular caused panic and expectations for more adventure from Southee were expected, but the natural six-hitter put his head down and managed to survive alongside Ravindra, who had the measure of the bowling. After starting the day with 22 and taking the first ball of the day to the boundary, Ravindra batted with zeal but with respect for the bowling. He showed enough faith in Southee to let him contest 16 of the first 19 balls of the partnership.

The first signs of shots being made came 11 overs before the new ball was available, when Ravindra attacked Kuldeep Yadav and flicked it back over his head for his fifty. He then went over midwicket to take the lead past 200. In the same over, Southee scored a half-volley which he threw up for his first boundary.

Suddenly the flood gates opened. India went from waiting for the new ball to delaying the new ball because it only became available just before lunch and they needed a breather to regroup. In the 12 overs before the break, New Zealand scored 102 runs, Ravindra went from 48 off 86 to 104 off 125 and Southee hit three sixes, surpassing Virender Sehwag's tally of 91. R Ashwin was mercilessly knocked down when he hit overpitched balls , his 16 overs yielded 94 and a wicket after a reverse sweep.

The frustration for India continued even after the second new ball as Southee bowled and missed before adding another six to his tally but falling short of his personal best of 77 made in his debut Test. Ravindra, who managed to nullify a controversial call for a catch at the wicket, was the last man out for 134, but not before hitting two more sixes to take New Zealand's lead past 350, well beyond anyone Indians who had turned around to win a check.

Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal were almost conscious that they would not overreact to the collapse in the first innings. On a pitch that had calmed down remarkably compared to day two, they got off to a quick start, particularly with Henry looking for momentum as there wasn't much room for the ball. In no time, they surpassed their first innings score without losing a wicket and began and ended the second session trailing by 299 runs.