New Zealand won the engaging contest between bat and ball by 40 runs in the first Test at Auckland. The third and fourth day of the match witnessed fortunes swing like a pendulum at the Eden Park. The Indian bowlers gave the team a second chance to make amends and change the course of the game after Brendon McCullum had led the New Zealand domination in the first innings. Shikhar Dhawan and Cheteshwar Pujara then stitched a partnership to keep the match hanging in balance at the end of Day 3. Then on the fourth day, Virat Kohli joined Shikhar Dhawan to tip the balance in India's favour with a 126-run partnership. But the Black Caps pace attack struck at regular intervals in the last two sessions to keep their team in the game and grab victory to take a 1-0 lead in the two-match Test series. Neil Wagner claimed four wickets while Tim Southee and Trent Boult claimed three wickets each to turn the game around for New Zealand. Earlier in the day, the initial period of the morning was about the only time that belonged to the home team as Tim Southee and Trent Boult asked questions off the Indian batsmen. They kept the batsmen on a leash as they bowled a probing line. Southee, who has been the pick of the bowlers, swung the ball to keep the batsman on his toes. The only run that came off the first over of the day was a single to mid-off by Shikhar Dhawan which also took the opener to his fifty. With the match hanging in balance the batsmen played watchfully. In the fifth over of the morning, Southee struck to give his team a crucial breakthrough. A classic outswinger from the leader of the bowling attack brushed past Pujara’s bat and was caught by BJ Watling leaving India on 96 for two. Virat Kohli then joined forces with Dhawan to pull the game back in India’s favour. After initially biding his time at the crease, the No. 4 India bat kept the scoreboard moving. He sent Southee racing through covers for four and in the following over, collected two more off Neil Wagner. Boundaries started flowing in at more regular intervals. A bit later he collected three boundaries off Ish Sodhi to reach 41. Meanwhile, Dhawan too sent the odd ball to the fence as he built the innings. In the last over before lunch, Kohli struck Kane Williamson through mid-off and cover to reach his half-century, while Dhawan cut the bowler for four more to take India to 180 for two at lunch. The two continued where they had left and kept the scoreboard ticking. As he approached the three-figure mark Dhawan smashed Sodhi for a six over the on-side and cut the next ball to bring up his century with a boundary. With the spinner being unable to contain the batsmen, Brendon McCullum replaced him with Wagner. The bowler responded with a wicket. A low catch by Watling had Kohli walk back for 67 making way for Rohit Sharma. But with India on 222 for three, the Blackcaps had conceded the advantage to India. The top-scorer for India in the first innings, Rohit cut and pulled with ease even as he bided his time at the crease. But as the innings progressed, Dhawan who was looking comfortable at the crease and looked set for the long haul was bounced by Wagner for 115. Ajinkya Rahane (18 off 21) then supported Rohit in taking the innings forward and was garnering runs with ease when was adjudged leg-before off the first delivery with the new ball by Boult. MS Dhoni then joined Rohit in the middle and the pair took India to 270 for five at tea. With 137 runs still needed, Southee took the edge off Rohit’s bat and Watling took his fifth catch of the innings to leave India on 270 for six off the first ball of the final session. Claiming two wickets in two overs with the new ball, Boult and Southee had left the match precariously poised. However, the last recognised Indian batting pair – Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja counter attacked. They ran quickly between the wickets, converting singles into twos and dismissed the ball to the boundary to bring the required runs to double-digit numbers. However, Jadeja’s onslaught soon came to end. After hitting Boult for a six, he was caught at mid-off while looking to clear the field for another hit to the fence. Senior-most member of the team, Zaheer Khan, joined the captain as the match once again hung in balance. The lower-order batsman got off the mark with an upper-cut to the fence but after contributing 17 he was dismissed by Wagner off the first ball after drinks break. With 58 runs required, Ishant Sharma came to the crease. With the No. 10 batsman at the other end Dhoni farmed the strike but 13 runs later the India captain was castled by Wagner. At 362 for nine India’s Mohammed Shami walked in to take guard but after hitting a four Ishant was felled by Boult to bowl India out for 366.