MOHALI (India), Oct 20: India’s Vangipurappu Laxman followed up his first innings unbeaten 104 with a brilliant 67 not out to deny New Zealand their dream of a first-ever Test series victory on Indian soil on Monday.

Laxman, renowned for his Indian record 281 against Australia at Kolkata two years ago, played two innings of similar character as India, reeling at 18 for three after following on, saved the second and final Test with six wickets in hand.

The 28-year-old shared in a 110-run stand with opener Aakash Chopra, who scored 52 for his second half-century of the match, to thwart New Zealand’s victory surge after paceman Daryl Tuffey had rocked the hosts with a five-wicket burst.

Tuffey, 25, picked up two wickets off successive balls as India, chasing 431 to avoid the follow-on, fell just seven runs short with Laxman running out of partners.

India’s second innings then got off to a nightmare start, first innings centurion Virender Sehwag (one) and stand-in skipper Rahul Dravid (five) for falling to Tuffey.

The Hamilton-based fast bowler then clean bowled Sachin Tendulkar for one with a ball that nipped in sharply from outside off-stump.

India were in dire straits but Laxman picked up where he had left off in the first innings, batting fluently as he dug in with Chopra, who was rock-solid on a pitch assisting New Zealand spinners Daniel Vettori and Paul Wiseman.

Laxman reached his 17th Test fifty off 115 balls, including six fours, when he scampered through for a quick single to mid-off.

Chopra, who had made his debut in the drawn first Test at Ahmedabad last week, got to his half-century driving the left-arm spin of Vettori for four through the covers.

By the time the opener was out, caught at short-leg off bat-pad, the match had been saved by the home side.

India had resumed on their overnight first innings score of 390 for six, but Anil Kumble (five) was run out early by Tuffey with a backhand flick from mid-on as the batsmen attempted a quick single.

Harbhajan Singh looked more resilient in his knock of eight, which included an edged four, before he was dismissed via a freak run out when a Laxman straight-drive clipped bowler Ian Butler’s fingers and caught the non-striker backing up too far.

Laxman reached his fifth Test century off 248 balls in almost seven hours, picking two runs to mid-wicket off Tuffey.

At the other end, Lakshmipathy Balaji led a charmed life and was dropped twice by wicket-keeper Robbie Hart on two, once off Tuffey and once off fast bowler Ian Butler.

But Hart made up for his lapses, holding on to catches as Tuffey removed Balaji (four) and Zaheer Khan (zero) with balls that left them late.

India have lost only one home series, to South Africa in 2000, in the last 17 years.

The Mohali Test will be followed by a one-day triangular tournament, also involving Australia, starting on Thursday in Chennai.

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