NAGPUR, India: India rode on some inspired spin bowling to thrash New Zealand by an innings and 198 runs in the third and final Test Tuesday and claim the series 1-0. Spinners Harbhajan Singh, Pragyan Ojha and Suresh Raina shared seven wickets before paceman Ishant Sharma finished off the tail, bowling out New Zealand for 175 early into the second session on the fourth day of the match. New Zealand started the day needing 349 runs to avoid an innings defeat after conceding a huge 373-run lead to India which made 566-8 in its first innings, built around a 191-run knock by Rahul Dravid. The visitors, weighed down by the enormity of the task at hand, crumbled without much resistance to gift top-ranked India one of their biggest Test wins in recent times. “We did not expect the game to end so early,” said Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni. “It was important to start well. We knew the track was turning so we wanted to capitalise on that and take some early wickets. “Our spinners got turn and bounce with the new, hard ball in the morning. It was one of those days when everything went to our plans.” India owed its success as much to the pacemen who struck early blows on the first day of the match at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium to bowl out New Zealand for 193 and set the stage for victory. “We lost the match with the bat,” said New Zealand skipper Daniel Vettori. “Winning the toss, batting first and then making only 193 is not something that will win you a Test match. “I thought Sharma was the difference between the two teams. He got three wickets in the second innings, but also four in the first.” New Zealand, placed at No. 8 in Test rankings, suffered its second batting collapse in the match after resuming the day on 24-1. Ojha (2-67) picked off his first victim in the second over of the morning, trapping overnight batsman Brendon McCullum (25) leg before wicket with a ball that pitched on the middle stump. McCullum, who came in to open the second innings after batting at No. 8 in the first due to back spasms, finished as the highest run-getter for New Zealand with a tally of 370 from three Tests. Ojha then claimed Martin Guptill for a golden duck in his next over to leave New Zealand tottering at 38-3. The bowler, however, missed out on a third wicket after his appeal for a leg before off Ross Taylor was turned down by umpire Simon Taufel. TV replays showed the ball would have hit the middle stump. Harbhajan (3-56) joined in the action soon, removing struggling wicketkeeper batsman Gareth Hopkins (eight) who tried to drive the ball away but ended up being caught brilliantly by a diving Gautam Gambhir at short leg. Taylor (29) was caught by substitute Cheteshwar Pujara at the same position off Harbhajan although replays showed the ball had bounced off his pads. Rookie middle-order batsman Kane Williamson (eight) was bowled by Sharma (3-15) while part-timer Raina had key batsman Jesse Ryder caught at mid-off for 22. Raina's off-spin fetched him his second wicket, that of Vettori, who was hit on the knee roll in front of the middle stump. Sharma returned in the post-lunch session to pick up two wickets in two balls and put an end to New Zealand's misery. Dravid was named man of the match while Harbhajan picked the man of the series award for scoring 315 runs in the three matches and taking 10 wickets. The first two games of the series had ended in draws. Ryder to fly back New Zealand batsman Jesse Ryder will miss an upcoming five-match ODI series against India following a calf injury. The left-hander picked up a calf strain in the second Test in Hyderabad and aggravated it further during the final game in Nagpur, where he batted with a runner. ICC clears Kotla stadium New Delhi's Feroz Shah Kotla stadium will be allowed to stage international cricket again from January after serving its one-year ban, the International Cricket Council (ICC) said Tuesday. The ICC had ruled that no international cricket could be played at the stadium until the end of 2010 following the abandonment of a one-dayer due to a dangerous pitch. The re-instatement of the ground followed an inspection by Andy Atkinson, the ICC pitch consultant, the world governing body of cricket said in a statement.
