(MENAFN- Kora) India took a big step towards their first Test win away from home since June 2011 on Sunday, with three wickets in the opening session in Wellington
New Zealand trailed by 159 runs at lunch with six wickets in hand in their second innings but a brilliant captain's knock by McCullum (114 not out) and impressive support from Watling (52 not out) ensured the hosts remained in the contest at stumps
The home side started the day on 24-1, 222 runs behind forcing the tourists to bat again, and in just the second over Kane Williamson was out for seven, edging Zaheer Khan to MS Dhoni
Khan grabbed his third wicket off the innings when he dismissed Hamish Rutherford (35) in similar fashion midway through the session, while the wicket of debutant Tom Latham (29) - caught Dhoni, bowled Mohammed Shami - saw the umpires signal for lunch
When Corey Anderson (two) was caught by Ravi Jadeja off his own bowling just after lunch, India looked on track for a comfortable victory inside three days
But that brought Watling to the crease, instilling a much-needed toughness into New Zealand's performance
Watling protected his wicket, facing 208 deliveries for his half-century, and provided a solid platform for McCullum to build towards a century
McCullum may have scored more exciting Test hundreds but it is hard to imagine a more important century with the 32-year-old giving New Zealand a sniff of a famous comeback
The skipper reached three figures with a six off Ishant Sharma's bowling, adding that maximum to 14 fours, as he led New Zealand to a six-run lead by the end of Sunday's play
While India are still well on top in this match, they will remain nervous as long as McCullum and Watling stay in the middle, with James Neesham and Tim Southee more than capable of providing initial support
Khan finished the day with figures of 3-60 off 25 overs, while Jadeja (1-49 off 26) and Shami (1-60 off 25) were the other wicket-taker
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