Kohli leads India fight-back with unbeaten 93

BANGALORE, India, Sept 1 (AFP) - Virat Kohli cracked an impressive 93 not out to lead an Indian recovery on the second day of the second and final Test against New Zealand in Bangalore on Saturday.

The 23-year-old hit one six and 12 fours in his second successive Test half-century as the hosts, struggling at 80-4 at one stage, reached 283-5 in their first innings at stumps in reply to New Zealand's 365. Kohli, who made 58 in the last Test, added 99 for the fifth wicket with Suresh Raina (55) and 104 for the unfinished sixth-wicket stand with Mahendra Singh Dhoni (46 not out) to keep alive his team's hopes of gaining the lead.

India now trail by 82 runs with five wickets in hand. Dhoni, who scored 73 in the opening Test, hit off-spinner Jeetan Patel for two successive sixes over wide long-on and mid-wicket in his 70-ball knock which also contained five fours. India, who won the opening Test by an innings and 115 runs, lost experienced Virender Sehwag (43), Gautam Gambhir (two) and Sachin Tendulkar (17) before Kohli, Raina and Dhoni propped up the innings.

New Zealand's pacemen bowled well to keep pressure on India, with Tim Southee finishing the day with 3-35 and Doug Bracewell with 2-66.

Raina, trying to cement his place in the middle order, was caught by wicket-keeper Kruger van Wyk down the leg-side off Southee after hitting one six and nine fours in his seventh Test half-century.

SCOREBOARD
		 
NEW ZEALAND - 1ST INNINGS
M. Guptill c Gambhir b Ojha			53
B. McCullum lbw b Zaheer			00
K. Williamson lbw b Ojha			17
R. Taylor lbw b Ojha			       113
D. Flynn lbw b Ashwin				33
J. Franklin c Raina b Ojha			08
K. van Wyk c Raina b Zaheer			71
D. Brac						43
T. Southee lbw b Ojha				14
J. Patel c Gambhir b Yadav			00
T. Boult not out				02
Extras (b2, lb9)				11
Total (for all out; 90.1 overs)		       365

Fall of wickets: 1-0 (McCullum), 2-63 (Williamson)
		 3-89 (Guptill), 4-196 (Flynn)
		 5-215 (Franklin), 6-246 (Taylor)
		 7-345 (van Wyk), 8-353 (Bracewell)
		 9-353 (Patel), 10-365 (Southee)
Bowling: Ojha 28.1-10-99-5
	 Zaheer 22-2-83-2
	 Yadav 16-1-90-1
	 Ashwin 24-5-82-1

INDIA - 1ST INNINGS
G. Gambhir b Southee				02
V. Sehwag c Flynn b Bracewell			43
C. Pujara c Boult b Southee			09
S. Tendulkar b Bracewell			17
V. Kohli not out				93
S. Raina c van Wyk b Southee			55
MS Dhoni not out				46
Extras (b10, lb2, nb5, w1)			18
Total (for five wickets; 78 overs)	       283

Fall of wickets: 1-5 (Gambhir), 2-27 (Pujara)
		 3-67 (Sehwag), 4-80 (Tendulkar)
		 5-179 (Raina)
Bowling: Boult 19-2-75-0 (nb2)
	 Southee 15-4-35-3 (nb1, w1)
	 Bracewell 15-4-66-2
	 Franklin 10-4-17-0 (nb1)
	 Patel 19-5-78-0 (nb1)