It was obvious from the way Rahul Dravid came out after tea that he was intending to pick up as many runs as he could before the last two wickets fell. There were some attractive shots, from both him and Zaheer Khan.

But in the process there was a freedom about the shot selection that increased the risk factor and ultimately that was what undid Dravid.

He looked to drive a ball from Scott Styris but it slipped through a gap between bat and pad and bowled him.

It was a sad end to a grafting innings, and one that under different circumstances and with more support, could well have seen him finish with centuries in three successive Test innings in New Zealand.

His 76 runs were scored off 173 balls in 246 minutes, and included 13 fours. His wicket fell at 147 and there was only time left for Zaheer Khan to hit out to lift the score through to 161 before he played a No 10 batsman's shot to a ball from Shane Bond that caught the splice of his bat and flew high above the gully.

But if there is one advantage to having a fieldsman who stands 2.01m tall as Jacob Oram does, it is that sometimes improbable chances become catches. He leapt high in the air, got contact and then while falling to ground lost his grasp of the ball, before regathering it to complete a spectacular catch.

Bond was able to finish with three for 66 from 18.4 overs while Styris took three for 28 from his six overs.

New Zealand started slowly, in diminishing light, scoring at barely a run an over and with 23 overs left in the day were seven without loss. Mark Richardson was on six and Lou Vincent was still to score.

Dravid has been batting since the end of the second over of the innings and was 64 not out at the tea break. Zaheer Khan is with him on six not out as India were 126/8 off 53 overs.

The afternoon drinks break worked to New Zealand's advantage as in the first over back Jacob Oram tempted Parthiv Patel to attempt a cut to a ball that was too close to his body. He couldn't keep his shot down and fourth slip Lou Vincent did well to pick up the catch low down. It had been a gutsy effort by the youthful Patel who finished with eight in the partnership of 37 runs.

New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming rotated his bowlers at the southern end. Nathan Astle relieved Jacob Oram for three overs, but once he was clubbed for six over long off by Ajit Agarkar, Fleming immediately took him off and replaced him with Scott Styris.

His third ball, induced Agarkar to have one of the slashes outside off that had been bearing him some reward. However, on this occasion a leaping Astle at second slip pulled in a good catch to send Agarkar on his way for 12.

Off the next ball he faced, Harbhajan Singh, attempted a luxurious pull shot, not the most fruitful of choices for his side's better batsman on the day. And it took Craig McMillan at square leg to take a difficult catch as he dived forward to secure the ball.

Zaheer Khan came out to face the potential hat-trick and did his best to enliven the situation by edging the first ball just short of Vincent diving forward at third slip.

Throughout all this, Dravid, as he had been all innings was immovable. Not having offered any chances he held his head while those around were succumbing to the very accurate New Zealand bowling.

Khan did his best through one Oram over to get himself out as he constantly hung his bat to balls outside off stump, but he was unable to get an edge. When Dravid took a single in the next over, Khan did have the chance to get bat on ball for a lovely cut shot for four runs.

New Zealand had made the most of their luck in winning the toss and had cleaned out all but Dravid with youthful wicket-keeper Parthiv Patel batting with aplomb in taking the score through to 92/5 by the break.

Dravid, who scored two centuries in his last Test in New Zealand at Hamilton in 1998/99, was 48 not out scored off 120 deliveries, with Patel on eight.

The New Zealanders lunched well, as V V S Laxman found out when facing Shane Bond's first over after the break. Bond struggled with his rhythm, bowling two no balls, but when he had everything right it was too good for Laxman, who had a swiftly lifting ball tickle the outside edge of his bat and fly to wicket-keeper Robbie Hart.

The swift jerk of Laxman's head to follow the flight of the ball was a giveaway gesture which suggested he knew his prospective fate.

Rahul Dravid was fighting a single-handed action for his side. His was a demonstration of application under the most trying circumstances.

Parthiv Patel replaced Laxman and took a single off the first ball he faced but in the next over he played a tentative shot to Bond and the ball inexplicably when unchallenged between Nathan Astle and Scott Styris at second and third slip respectively.

Bond bowled for all but one over of the hour from the northern end and was much more controlled than during his opening spell in the morning.

The New Zealanders have all made the most of the conditions and have been very accurate and consistent in their accuracy.

Ganguly who had been dropped by second slip Nathan Astle the ball before his dismissal from the bowling of Shane Bond, followed a slightly wider ball and gave Lou Vincent a sharp chance low down to his left and the fourth slip snared a good catch.

Ganguly had scored 17 and Rahul Dravid, a superb example of resistance having faced 68 balls on a slow morning of scoring, was 19 not out.

In the third over after drinks, Jacob Oram ensured he will never forget the first wicket he took in Test cricket. He had the world's best batsman Sachin Tendulkar as a scalp to be prized.

It wasn't the clearest cut of decisions, leg before wicket and well down the pitch. But Tendulkar didn't play a shot and umpire Asoka de Silva was nodding his head in answer to a vociferous Oram appeal before he put his finger up to send Tendulkar packing.

India were 29/3 with Tendulkar having scored eight.

Play became very slow as the Indians opted for survival mode rather than attack, and as the New Zealanders maintained a consistent line.

Captain Sourav Ganguly had a definite piece of luck when on two. He got a lifting ball from Shane Bond that glanced off his handle and flew high to the left of first slip Stephen Fleming. He reacted but wasn't able to close his hands around the ball, the fall deflecting high behind him and out of reach of any of the supporting slips field.

Having taken a single, Ganguly got to the other end and when attempting to pull a ball from Jacob Oram he had it drop from his body to just beside the stumps and it took a swift kick to prevent the ball rebounding onto his wickets.

Offered a similar ball next delivery, Ganguly was quickly into place and took his first boundary of the innings.

Bond ended the morning with one wicket for 28 runs while the key performer for New Zealand, Daryl Tuffey had bowled seven overs and had two for two.

Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar have shown patience and care in adding 20 runs in frustratingly windy conditions.

Tendulkar has been very reserved although just before the drinks break he unleashed two lovely boundaries to remind the New Zealanders they still have much work to do to contain the Indian threat.

The score was 29/2 with Dravid on 15 and Tendulkar on eight.

Daryl Tuffey struck a big blow when picking up Virender Sehwag off the last ball of his first over. The big Northern Districts fast-medium bowler didn't look at all comfortable and lost his stride coming in earlier in the over.

Sehwag had taken two runs with an effortless stroke to mid-wicket but Tuffey ploughed into the breeze with his last ball. It was slightly wide of off stump but then came back too quickly for Sehwag to react and the ball clipped the top of middle stump.

Rahul Dravid was given a welcome by the Kiwi think-tank who immediately went into conference to formulate their plan. It didn't prevent him getting two away through the covers to open his scoring and in the following over he cover-drove a ball from Bond to the boundary.

Tuffey managed to tie down Sanjay Bangar at the northern end and in his third over, Bangar tried to pull his bat away from a rising ball and had the ball follow him and take his gloves.

Tuffey was in no doubt that the dismissal had been made when Styris completed the catch at third slip, but it took a moment or two before umpire Asoka de Silva made his decision. Television replays at first made it seem that the ball may have taken Bangar's arm guard but closer inspection suggested the glove had been taken.

India were two for nine at that stage.

By comparison, fast man Shane Bond was consistently getting the ball through at just under 140km/h but was not troubling the batsmen as much as Tuffey managed to achieve.

Tuffey took a break after completing four overs and having two wickets for two runs.

Jacob Oram, playing his first Test replaced Tuffey and made an impression with his first ball, doubling Dravid over as the ball spat back at him and caught him in the midriff.

Tendulkar took 14 balls to score his first runs, a powerful cut behind point for four and then two balls later lent into a defensive shot which threatened to burn the outfield as it sizzled across the ground to the boundary.

There is the expected hint of green in the pitch and both captains had suggested in the pre-game comments that it was a toss they would prefer to win.

They also acknowledged that the pressure would be on the bowlers to make best use of the pitch by quickly finding the right length, especially with the wind coming into play as well.

As expected New Zealand named Central Districts pace man Michael Mason as twelth man while India left out their fast-medium bowler Tinu Yohannan.

After all the controversy that occurred over the state of the ground and its scoreboard during last summer's second Test against England, the ground has been restored to its former glory with a lovely cover of grass in the outfield and the scoreboard in full operation.

The New Zealanders, who have been hindered by a lack of preparation in the season due to their own strike over contract negotiations and a poor start to the New Zealand summer, know they need to win the series to retain their third place on the International Cricket Council's Test championship.

India, if they win, can improve their position to fourth on the table.

Conditions in Wellington are overcast with a north-westerly breeze blowing across the ground. It is forecast to continue blowing throughout the Test. There is a prospect of rain later today.

The teams are:

New Zealand: Stephen Fleming (captain), Mark Richardson, Lou Vincent, Craig McMillan, Nathan Astle, Scott Styris, Jacob Oram, Robbie Hart, Daniel Vettori, Shane Bond, Daryl Tuffey. Michael Mason (12th man).

India: Sourav Ganguly (captain), Sanjay Bangar, Virender Sehwag, V V S Laxman, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Parthiv Patel, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra, Ajit Agarkar. Tinu Yohannan (12th man).