Live Cricket Score of India vs New Zealand, 1st Test, Day 2 at Kanpur

It could have gone awfully bad on the opening day of the series for New Zealand after losing the toss and having to contend with the free-stroking mindset of Cheteshwar Pujara and Murali Vijay. But the character of the side, drilled in by former captain Brendon McCullum, shone through once again as they clawed their way back from 154/1 to restrict India to 291/9 on Day 1. Bowling the hosts out under 300 will be a massive psychological kick.

India have some introspection to do but that'll come later. The track is taking turn, albeit slow turn for now and their spinners will be eager to set an early precedent in the series. Ravindra Jadeja could set himself up for a nice spell with a useful 20-odd with the bat in the morning, one that'll take India to around 320-330. The scales will then have tilted significantly.

It promises to be a fascinating Day 2 of cricket from Kanpur. This is Prakash Govindasreenivasan (@PrakashG_CB) and I will keep you up to speed with all that's happening at Green Park.

That's the question, isn't it? It's a very delicately-placed game at the moment. India are nine down but 291 is not too bad a total given Ravichandran Ashwin's quality on such tracks. If Ravindra Jadeja and Umesh Yadav can drag on and add 35-50 more runs, the hosts will have enough to believe it to be a successful first innings. What about the visitors? They need to put the conditions aside and truly feel that they've done well with the ball. They need to be aware of the fact that well begun is only half done. If they are to challenge India, their batsmen will have to complement the efforts of their bowlers.

The news from Kanpur is that the sun is beating down rather harshly. Good opportunity for Martin Guptill to enhance his Test numbers, while Kane Williamson will be the fulcrum of this line-up. We're not too long away from the start of the day's play. A Williamson v Ashwin duel will be a fine battle to watch out for.

Ross Taylor getting a hit early on in the day. Can he make an impact today?

The New Zealand captain will be tested here. It's quite a dilemma between setting aggressive fields and finding that last wicket or being a defensive to ensure boundaries aren't available easily. At the moment, Jadeja is bossing the proceedings. He carts Santner for a six to move the scorecard to 311 for 9.

Kane Williamson and Tom Latham have looked assured against spin. Nothing out of the ordinary happening off the pitch for either Jadeja or Ashwin. But New Zealand already showing good aptitude against spin. Williamson, in particular, happy to go deep into his crease to smother the spin. Slow turn allowing them the time. Good battle here. India would love another breakthrough before Lunch... That would be a big blow for New Zealand.

Much to think for Ashwin in that brief period of action in the first session. Williamson appears to have a good counter batting deep in his crease. He has enough time to go back and play that dab to third man. When the ball is tossed up, Williamson walks out and lofts him over deep mid-wicket. Much fun, this battle.

This has been some period of play. The two batsmen have posted 50s but the ball is now starting to spit and turn. Suddenly there are some plays and misses and nervous bat-pad shouts. None more close than a huge shout for caught behind against Kane. Jadeja though he had his man... Kane put his head down. There was some noise as ball passed bat. But the umpire didn't think so. Big moment this. Here's Umesh Yadav 20 minutes before Tea. Will he find reverse.

Lot of updates coming in from our man at the venue - Ganesh Chandrasekaran. There was a drizzle towards the end of the second session that soon became a heavy down pour, forcing the ground staff to cover the entire ground. The drainage system at the venue isn't very good, Ganesh says. Here's more from Ganesh:

- Got lighter right now. People trickling back in to he uncovered stands. But feel we're quite a bit away from any possible play.

- Can see some activity from the ground staff now. Still milling around for the drizzle to stop completely. Even after that there is a lot of water on the covers that needs careful removal

- Umpires out to have a word with the groundsman, probably to decide how long it will take for the ground to be ready for an inspection

- Shivkumar, the head groundsman, has his staff in a huddle before dispersing them off ro remove the covers. Looks like the first time for many of them, who are waving to the crowd as they cheer on

Two reprieves notwithstanding, Kane Williamson and Tom Latham stitched together an unbeaten stand of 117 for the second wicket - the highest partnership for New Zealand in Kanpur - to take the visitors to 152 for 1 at Tea and extend their dominance over the hosts on Friday (September 23).

While batting on 39, Williamson was thoroughly beaten by an R Ashwin delivery that rose sharply and hit the back of his helmet. That resulted in one of the flaps at the back of the head gear to fall off and hit the stumps. Much to India's horror, the bails did not get dislodged and Williamson survived. Four overs later, Latham was extremely lucky not to walk back to the hut three short of a half-century, when his attempted sweep off Ravindra Jadeja was taken by KL Rahul at forward short leg.

Latham's shot was angled towards the ground, prompting Richard Kettleborough to refer it to the TV umpire. Replays showed that the ball had risen off Latham's front boot. However, Rahul juggled the ball in his attempt to catch it, and after several replays, it was concluded that there was sufficient contact between the ball and the strap of Rahul's helmet. The TV umpire took his time and ruled in favour of the batsman. While batting on 57, Williamson also seemed to have survived a caught behind call, the replays of which suggested a faint noise - perhaps from the bottom of the bat. In his defense, snickometer did not show a deviation.

Such had been India's fortune in the session, as they constantly went up in appeal in the second half, only to be turned down on each occasion. There were also a couple of edges that fell agonisingly short of the slip fielder or went flying beyond a diving fielder's reach.

Despite all these moments that nearly gave India a breakthrough, the session belonged to the two batsmen who steered the visitors to a position of strength. Resuming after lunch on 71 for 1, it was key for New Zealand to ensure they didn't make the mistakes of their opponents and threw away a promising start. India had nosedived towards the end of the second session after a typically-dominated start on Day 1.

In search of a breakthrough, Kohli opted to employ Jadeja and Mohammad Shami in tandem, but Latham and Williamson seemed assured at the crease. Despite the early threat, Williamson put his Test credentials on display, playing expertly against spin bowling. Kohli even turned to Ashwin, but his star spinner also drew a blank against the New Zealand pair that soon brought up half-centuries. The little takeaway for the hosts, as they rushed back to the pavilion at team, was the fact that they managed to garner a handful of nervy moments towards the end of the session.

Earlier in the day, India finished on 318, courtesy a nagging partnership between Ravindra Jadeja and Umesh Yadav inside the first hour of play in the morning session. Williamson had to take a tough decision and pick between either setting aggressive fields and spreading it out, in his team's quest for the final wicket. The frustration for New Zealand endured on for 27 runs, until a bowling change brought about the wicket. Neil Wagner dismissed Yadav, but Jadeja's brisk 42 ensured India had dragged their feet to a decent total.

Rain also arrived at tea, and the entire ground was covered, leaving little chance of play in the final session.