Gowtham shines with six-wicket haul

India 'A' off-spinner K Gowtham returned with an impressive six-wicket haul to dismiss New Zealand 'A' for 398 in their first innings in the third four-day game here on Sunday.

The 30-year-old bowler from Karnataka finished with figures of 46.4-10-139-6.

The visitors were 38 for one in 14 overs at the draw of stumps on day three. R Samarth (27 not out) and Ankit Bawne (5 not out) were at the crease after Abhimanyu Easwaran was dismissed in the seventh over.

Earlier, resuming from 121 for three, New Zealand managed to take a 75-run first-innings lead, riding on right-hand batsman Cameron Fletcher's career-best innings of 103.

Fletcher hit seven boundaries and a six in his 221-balls innings.

The trio of Tim Seifert (86), Doug Bracewell (55) and Kyle Jamieson (53) also chipped in for New Zealand with half centuries.

Gowtham drew first blood of the day by dismissing overnight batsman Rachin Ravindra. Other overnight batsman Seifert departed next, following which Bracewell joined Fletcher at the crease.

Bracewell's innings was studded with nine boundaries. He was dismissed by Navdeep Saini with the host at 257 for six.

The duo of Fletcher and Jamieson then put up a 100 run stand which ended with Gowtham dismissing the latter.

Gowtham then scalped the remaining wickets of Fletcher, Theo van Woerkom and Lachlan Ferguson.

Brief scores: India 'A': 323 all out and 38/1 in 14 overs (R Samarth 27 n.o.) vs New Zealand: 398 all out in 131.4 overs (C Fletcher 103, T Seifert 86; K Gowtham 6-139).