Central’s attack was well led by Michael Mason (3-46) and Lance Hamilton (2-52). The left-armed Hamilton was probably the best of them, even though medium-paced Andrew Schwass picked up three wickets in a useful display.

It could have been worse for the Indians. At least four chances went to ground, including Ganguly when he was just two – a couple of minutes before lunch. And Central went into the game without its quickest bowler and strong batsman in captain Jacob Oram, who withdrew with a hamstring strain just a frew minutes before the game started on a hot Napier day.

Oram’s absence leaves Central short in the batting area, and India’s medium-pacers will be expected to create problems on this wicket.

The Indian fightback came to a rapid finish after tea, with Harbhajan Singh belting a Glenn Sulzberger delivery straight to Brent Hefford at midoff. His very handy 29 formed the basis of an eighth-wicket stand of 37 with Ashish Nehra. Harbhajan faced 48 balls, and hit a big six and two fours.

Offspinner Harbhajan Singh was making the play in an eighth-wicket partnership of 26 with Ashish Nehra when tea was reached on a hot Napier day. Earlier Ganguly had dominated the scoring after lunch, with wickets falling regularly at the other end.

The session netted 94 runs for four wickets, remarkably similar to the 93-4 at lunch..

Ganguly lost Agarkar rather meekly soon after drinks, leg before to medium-pacer Schwass, with umpire Billy Bowden giving it long consideration before he lifted the finger.

That was 159-7, and Harbhajan Singh joined Ganguly (48), but the loss of wickets wasn’t sitting quietly on Ganguly’s shoulders and his stroke choice suddenly started to become forced by the necessity to keep the strike.

It cost him quickly, a flick outside the offstump to Michael Mason netting Sigley his fourth catch. Ganguly finished at 48, with five boundaries, but showed enough to suggest better returns in the test series.

Harbhajan and Ashish Nehra then came together in a nuisance-value partnership which eventually forced Central skipper Craig Spearman to try Glenn Sulzberger’s offspin, the game’s first spin in the 57th over.

He was greeted with a lusty blow for six over midwicket by Harbhajan and another three runs in two hits. Nehra, albeit a little ungainly, was content to play the minor role, and did it well.

Brent Hefford and Lance Hamilton resumed operations for Central Districts after lounch against a much more aggressive Ganguly in particular.

He played a good, old-fasioned glide to third man for four to bring up the 100 in 146 minutes, from 204 balls, and soon after cracked Hefford square for another.

VVS Laxman was much quieter and he looked to have survived a chance of his own when a Hefford delivery was edged low and to the right of wicketkeeper Marty\n Sigley. Laxman was just eight at the time.

The taller Laxman continued to struggle, but wasn’t giving up the battle. Thanks to some Ganguly strokes with the field up in attack, India added 38 runs in the first 40 minutes after lunch,. But Laxman scored only six of them and nine of the 53 partnership.

The odd ball still beat the bat, but by no means as often as in the first session. A warm Hawke’s Bay day was doing its job of drying the wicket, and Ganguly’s more authoritative approach did the rest.However he was to be on his own.

But Laxman was not destined to last much longer. After scoring one run in his last 25 minutes, he edged Hamilton meekly to wicketkeeper Martyn Sigley, his third catch. The wicket fell at 137.

He was replaced by 17-year-old Parthiv Patel, a youngster who was chosen for India without having played a first-class match.

But while he looked good in a short stay, some youthful impetuosity had him caugtht and bowled for a quick seven when Andrew Schwass returned to the bowling crease.

Ajit Agarkar joined his captain with India in need of a good partnership.

The Indians went to lunch struggling at 93-4 after being put into bat by replacement Central skipper Craig Spearman. At least three catches went down as the Indians found difficulty in adjusting to the New Zealand conditions, and only a solidly struck 44 from Sachin Tendulkar kept them going.

Opener Sanjay Bangar batted a long time for his 21, but apart from these two the Indians were troubled by the occasional movement and bounce of Lance Hamilton, Michael Mason and Andrew Schwass.

After a slow first hour of 35, it didn’t take Tendulkar long to march past Bangar after the first drinks break, the latter havin his second piece of luck when Central Districts captain Craig Spearman put down a difficult one in the slips from Hefford when the little opener was on 17.

Then he very nearly ran Tendulkar (on 28) out by saying yes and then rapidly changing his mind. With the exception of a couple of balls going past the bat and an edge enticingly close to Sinclair when he was 28, that was starting to look the best chance for Central with the tiny Indian master.

The break eventually came from the other end, where Bangar’s rather painful effort coming to an end when Sigley took the catch from the recently introduced medium pace of Andrew Schwass. He had added 50 with Tendulkar, but Tendulkar had scored 34 of them.

Bangar was replaced by VVS Laxman after facing 77 balls through the morning. Then the unexpected happened. Spearman went looking for more success by replacing Mason with Hamilton,. And a rather loose Tendulkar chopped the very first ball onto his stumps.

Tendulkar had looked set for a big one, but conditions had dictated constant surveillance, and Tendulkar looked to have got a little cocky. It was, however, a big scalp for Hamilton and the Indians were unsteady, at 84-4.

Indian skipper Saurav Ganguly replaced him, and he and Laxman were both on nought. Hamilton came back strongly after the Tendulkar wicket and two short-pitched balls had Ganguly reeling and popping them just wide of fieldsman – a period of play which would have been noted by New Zealand selection and coaching eyes.

And Ganguly had just two when gully field Martin How couldn’t grab a high one. But he was still there at lunch.

The Indians found the swinging, seaming ball a tough nut to crack in the opening session.

Opening bowler Michael Mason’s ability to move the ball away from the batsmen in ideal conditions netted him the early wickets of Virender Sehwag and Rahul Dravid as India struggled through to 35 for two wickets in the 15 overs bowled in the first hour.

Hamilton and Mason’s first three maiden overs were enough to allow the aggressive Sehwag to start to hit the ball in the middle.

He took successive fours through point and in front of square off Hamilton and then Sanjay Bangar added a thick edge to third man to have 13 runs from the over. He added an off-drive for three from Mason in the next to hint at his intentions. But they were only intentions.

The ball was going past the bat occasionally, and the rich atmosphere allowed Mason some outward movement. With the score at 20 Sehwag tried to swing a full Mason delivery in front of square, was deceived by movement and had the ball take the edge and fly to Matthew Sinclair at third slip – who took an awkward catch very professionally.

Rahul Dravid only lasted two balls. Mason moved the second one away and had Dravid taken by wicketkeeper Martyn Sigley without scoring That introduced the master Sachin Tendulkar.

It could have been worse. Bangar, struggling in the conditions, edged Hamilton to Sinclair with the score still on 20, but he grassed the difficult chance.

The fast-medium Mason pushed his test claims with a lively first spell of two for eight from five overs, before he was replaced by the steady Brent Hefford, while Hamilton kept working steadily away until he appeared to hurt a hip in his eighth over – leaving Central seriously short of bowling.

When drinks were taken after 70 minutes, India .was 37 for two, after 17 overs. Bangar had studiously gone through to 16 in 53 balls, with Tendulkar also slow with eight off 31.

Oram had a hamstring tighten after Wednesday’s Max Cricket international in Christchurch, and failed a fitness test. Craig Spearman took the captaincy and did his first job by winning the toss and putting the Indians in on a wicket which promised considerable early help for the bowlers, although groundsman Phil Stoyanoff says there is not quite the moisture in the wicket there was in 1998 when Central Districts bowled that Indian touring side out for 103 on the first morning.

Central Districts thus goes into the game a bowler/batsman short because of Oram’s allround skills.

The Indians left left-arm spinner Murali Kartik out of their starting line-up, with offspinner Harbhajan Singh being passed fit after suffering from a virus overnight. The weather also suited medium-fast bowling, with high humidity making the ball likely to swing. It was not expected, however, to rain.

Teams:

India: Saurav Ganguly (c), Virender Sehwag, Sanjay Bangar, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Vangipurappu Laxman, Parthiv Patel, Aji Agarkar, Harbhajan Singh, Ashish Nehru, Tinu Yohannan. Twelfth man, Murali Kartik.

Central Districts: Craig Spearman (c), Peter Ingram, Matthew Sinclair, Glenn Sulzberger, Jamie How, Bevan Griggs, Martyn Sigley, Michael Mason, Brent Hefford, Lance Hamilton, Andrew Schwass.

Umpires: Doug Cowie (NZ), Billy Bowden (NZ).