India can claim bragging rights after the opening day's play in the second test against the Blackcaps at Mumbai, reaching 221/4 at stumps, despite an impressive showing from Kiwi spinner Ajaz Patel.
Led by opener Mayank Agarwal (120 not out), the hosts made batting look easy on another pitch that aided spinners from the opening overs, leaving New Zealand with plenty to worry about heading into day two.
Patel (4/73) was the sole shining light for the Kiwis, taking all the wickets to fall and sending down 29 of the 70 overs bowled, before bad light ended play early. The rest of the NZ attack went wicketless, unable to support the left-armer from the other end.
Arriving at Wankhede Stadium, the Blackcaps were soon without captain Kane Williamson, out with a recurrence of his troublesome elbow injury, with Tom Latham leading the side and Daryl Mitchell taking his place in the batting order.
After a wet outfield saw the entire first session wiped out, New Zealand were hit again, as Latham lost the toss and Indian captain Virat Kohli chose to bat first. The Kiwis will depart India with a record of 0-5 with the coin, after calling incorrectly in three T20 Internationals, as well as both tests.
India's openers Shubman Gill and Mayank Agarwal got off to the perfect start, adding 80 for the first wicket, as the Blackcaps toiled in search of a breakthrough.
But after struggling to take the first wicket, New Zealand soon removed three of India's top four before the tea break.
Entering the bowling crease for his first appearance in his hometown, Patel exhibited outstanding control and was unlucky not to strike in his opening overs, beating both right-handers by repeatedly turning the ball away from the bat.
On 44, Gill's luck ran out. After surviving a stumping chance, when he ran past a turning delivery that also beat Tom Blundell behind the stumps, the Indian opener fell one ball later, pushing too hard at a wide delivery that turned and took an edge to Ross Taylor at slip.
Cheteshwar Pujara could consider himself lucky to keep his place in the side, after a string of low scores, and survived a leg-before-wicket appeal that saw the ball missing leg stump, before also falling to the next delivery.
Using his feet to Patel, Pujara came too far forward, missing the ball in flight, before it hit his pads and went back onto the stumps, dismissing him for a duck.
Returning to the India side after sitting out the first test at Kanpur, Kohli strode to the crease at No.4, more than two years removed from a century in any form of cricket.
That streak will continue into the second innings, as he too fell to Patel without scoring - albeit in controversial fashion. Given out lbw to a straight ball, Kohli reviewed straight away, but replays proved inconclusive on whether he hit the ball first.
With no evidence to overturn the decision, Kohli was forced to trudge off without troubling the scorers.
After watching from the non-striker's end as his side lost three wickets for no runs, Mayank Agarwal batted to reach his half-century before tea, taking 119 balls, with six fours and two sixes, to get his side to 111/3.
Patel struck again after the break, removing first-test hero Shreyas Iyer for 18, after an inside edge ballooned off his pad into Blundell's gloves, breaking a partnership worth 80 with Agarwal at 160/4.
Even with wickets falling at the other end, Agarwal pushed on to reach three figures for the fourth time in tests, despite needing treatment on both his back and leg cramps.
Agarwal's century came in 196 balls, complete with 13 boundaries and three sixes.
The right-hander batted through to the close of play to remain not out with 120 runs, as part of an unbroken 61-run stand with wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha (25 not out).
Agarwal will resume his innings on day two and push for a third test double century, with scores of 243 against Bangladesh and 215 against South Africa already to his name.
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