The world’s richest team play agains the world’s biggest over-achievers in a 3 test series at the same venues England played at last winter in New Zealand. The first, like last year, started in Hamilton – the scene of an England horror show. Last night New Zealand were the team floundering. When Brendon McCullum fell the score stood at 60-6 and the Indians must have scented blood.

What took place then saw the Black Caps revive mightily, and it remains to be seen how good a score their 279 is. The revival came via a responsible 102 from the certified nutter Jesse Ryder, and a great 118 from Daniel Vettori. Vettori really is a phenomenal cricketer. Many is the time that England claim Flintoff is the world’s best all-rounder, I point out the record of Jacques Kallis and tell people to keep their mouths shut or betray their ignorance. You really have to add Daniel Vettori to those players who deliver just as much as an all-rounder than Freddie. His batting average is around 28 with three test tons, and added to that are 286 test wickets at 33 apiece and 18 five-fors. Freddie has a batting average in the low 30s, and no tons for four years, and 216 wickets at 32 but with just two match or innings clinching five-fors. Vettori probably has a lot less help from pitches than Freddie does in England. I think it is very close. Vettori bats at 8 most of the time – Flintoff at 6. You think the two place difference is merited.

Anyway, India wrapped up the innings soon after Vettori was removed and whistled on to 29-0, with Sehwag as breezy as ever. We’ll see how the visitors fare on this surface before coming to too many conclusions. Wickets were shared between the bowlers, but Ishant Sharma took four and Munaf Patel took 3, which may indicate the seamers will have more joy. They seemed to last year.