Lunch India 318 and 252 for 4 (Rahane 21*, Rohit 12*, Sodhi 2-67) lead New Zealand262 by 308 runs

New Zealand's spinners chipped away at the wickets and ensured India had to work hard to stretch their lead, but the home side was still well on top at lunch on day four, 308 ahead with six wickets in hand. Testing India's batsmen far more than on the third evening, New Zealand denied hundreds to M Vijay and Cheteshwar Pujara and dismissed Virat Kohli for his second low score of the match while conceding only 93 runs in 34 overs.

As had been the case on day three, the Green Park pitch seemed rejuvenated by an overnight spell under the covers, and offered the spinners generous bite. Santner beat Pujara's edge with his first ball of the morning, did so again in his next over, and had an lbw appeal turned down when the batsman padded up to him outside off stump.

At the other end, M Vijay lofted an overpitched ball from Ish Sodhi over mid-off, and survived an lbw shout next ball when he got his front pad too far across and in the way of his defensive stroke.

With deep square leg and sweeper cover guarding against Sodhi's tendency to drop the odd ball short, New Zealand were also keeping the second-wicket pair - who had started the day with their partnership on 107 - fairly quiet.

They had conceded only 26 runs in the first nine overs of the morning when Santner found the edge of Vijay's defensive bat with one that turned more than expected. Vijay played the ball with soft hands, and it rolled away towards point, but the extra turn possibly played on his mind, because his front pad went a touch too far across to the next ball, which pitched on off stump and straightened down the line. Ball hit pad before bat, and Rod Tucker's finger went up immediately.

Kohli seemed restless from the moment he walked in, eager to put bat on ball and get the runs flowing. His first boundary was a disdainful pull off a Sodhi long-hop, but the next two were off thick edges - a miscued pull off Mark Craig that looped over square leg, and an attempted cover drive off Santner that flashed away wide of gully.

Having moved to 18, he went to slog-sweep Craig from the rough outside off stump, and only managed a top-edge that settled in deep midwicket's hands. The wicket was Craig's 50th in Test cricket.

A measure of New Zealand's improved bowling was its effect on Pujara. He started the day on 50 off 80 balls, and only added 28 to his score, off 72 balls. Sodhi dismissed him with a well-executed switch to around the wicket, hitting a good length just outside leg stump, opening up Pujara with his turn and getting him to nick to slip.

New Zealand could easily have picked up one or even two more wickets by lunch. Craig was the unlucky bowler, troubling Ajinkya Rahane with his dip and turn as he had done in the first innings, and having him dropped twice. The first time, Rahane didn't get close to the pitch while defending, and offered a low chance that Luke Ronchi didn't react quickly enough to at backward short leg. Then, skipping down the track, he again failed to reach the pitch, and flicked airily only for Kane Williamson to put down a sharp chance at short midwicket. Rohit Sharma also nearly offered a chance, inside-edging Craig narrowly wide of forward short leg.