Sachin Tendulkar after his dismissal, on Friday.

Ahmedabad: Fortunes ebbed and flowed at Motera, and, New Zealand, who looked like a whipping boy in the hands of Virender Sehwag, clawed back into the first Test with a gritty bowling display on Friday.

If the first session belonged to the visitors, India swung back after lunch with some lusty blows from Harbhajan Singh’s willow and two wickets by Zaheer Khan and Pragyan Ojha after tea. In a riveting contest between the bat and the ball, New Zealand ensured they didn’t let India off the hook, while the hosts drove to safety by posting 487 in the first innings. India, however, ended the day with an upper hand, as New Zealand were 69 for 2 at stumps.

The day was important for India, as millions waited to celebrate Diwali with Sachin Tendulkar’s 50th Test hundred. New Zealand were bereft of the services of Hamish Bennett, who pulled his groin, and with one pacer short, Daniel Vettori had to rely on his spinners. Jesse Ryder had expressed the team’s disappointment at not being able to bowl according to a plan on Thursday, but Friday, his team was spot on.

Jeetan Patel (3 for 135), who leaked the maximum (79 runs) on Thursday, picked up the wickets of Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman. With skipper Vettori (4 for118) in company, the New Zealand tweaker ripped through the Indian middle-order.

A storm chaser enjoys the experience of seeing a tornado, but can never anticipate the shock and helplessness that comes with observing destruction. While Sehwag’s whirlwind innings evoked similar feelings Thursday, Friday was a tedious wait as Tendulkar and Laxman laboured to drive India to a safe total.

The contrast was jarring as India managed only 29 runs in the first 16 overs on the second day, when they had raced to 67 on the first. But again to fritter away the advantage would have been silly, and the safety-first approach made sense.

Tendulkar looked robust in his technique and his defence was watertight as ever. His body language evoked a sense of determination and his running between the wickets suggested that he was in for a half-century of hundreds.

The Little Master wasn’t troubled, barring the lone occasion when Chris Martin beat his bat in the latter’s first over. However, it was Martin again whom Sachin pulled to score the first boundary of the day.

Even though the batsmen scored the odd four, the acceleration wasn’t enough. The crowd didn’t mind that and neither did India as the nation waited in anticipation of the crowning moment. As the day wore on, the expectation gradually increased. From his overnight score of 13, Tendulkar moved to 40. Patel was wheeling in like any other off spinner. It was his fifth over of the day and Tendulkar suddenly stepped out in a rare impulse. Patel was quick to pouch a return catch and a hushed silence descended on Motera.

Tendulkar stood at the crease staring at his bat — angry, despondent and appalled, as the Black Caps broke into celebration. The visitors continued with spin and just five overs later Kane Williamson removed Suresh Raina. Patel rounded off the post-lunch mayhem by trapping Laxman for a leg before decision.

Three quick wickets before lunch pegged India back and a 500-plus total rested on Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s shoulders. But it was Harbhajan Singh who stole the show, instead. In a delectable display of power-hitting, the turbanator smote the bowlers across Motera.

The gradual siege of the Indian innings opened up and the close in fielders were soon seen manning the ropes. Harbhajan hit Vettori and Williamson for sixes in consecutive overs, both shots oozing with style and confidence. In his 120-minute stay at the crease, the off-spinner raced to his highest score of 69 with the help of five fours and three sixes.

Zaheer Khan gave India a quick breakthrough. He sent back Tim McIntosh in the third over. Sreesanth, too, steamed in nicely but was unlucky not to get the better of a few close calls. It was BJ Watling’s wicket off Pragyan Ojha that helped India wrest control on Day II.