New Zealand made 152 for 1 in their first innings, when play was called off early because of rain, on Day 2 of the first cricket Test against India in Kanpur on Friday.
No play was possible in the third and final session, after Kiwi skipper Kane Williamson and Tom Latham batted stoically as Indian bowlers struggled at the Green Park Stadium.
Earlier, Indian bowlers toiled hard for 26 wicket-less overs in the second session as New Zealand batsmen Williamson and Latham struck defiant half-centuries.
A solid batting performance saw the Kiwis get to 152 for one at tea, trailing the hosts by 166 runs.
Latham was batting on 56 at the break, while Williamson was on 65 with New Zealand trailing India by 166 runs at Kanpur's Green Park Stadium where a light drizzle started soon after tea was taken.
Paceman Umesh Yadav got the only wicket of Martin Guptill in the opening session.
Captain Williamson took 115 balls for his 65 that had seven boundaries in it, while southpaw Latham has faced 137 balls for his 56.
Williamson and Latham were hardly troubled by either Ravichandran Ashwin or Ravindra Jadeja as the GreenPark pitch did not offer much assistance to the spinners.
Except for the last few overs, the two Kiwi batsmen remained untroubled for most part of the second session.
The one time that had Williamson worried was in the 32nd over. He completely missed an Ashwin delivery that hit him on the back of the helmet, taking off the flap, which hit the stumps but the bails did not get dislodged.
With strike bowlers not making any impact, Kohli asked part-timer Murali Vijay to bowl his off-breaks. He almost got Latham on a full toss, which the batsman missed. The ball struck the pads, but the umpire shot down the vociferous appeal for LBW.
This was after Vijay beat both the left-handed batsmen and wicker-keeper Wriddhiman Saha with a turning ball to concede four byes.
There was more drama in the next over when Latham swept Jadeja from outside the off stump and the inside edge bounced off his boot to forward short leg fielder Lokesh Rahul.
The decision was referred to the third umpire who ruled in the batsman's favour after replays suggested the ball had touched the chin strap of Rahul's helmet.
According to regulations, any part of protective gears are not supposed to come into play while taking a catch.
Latham completed his eighth Test fifty in the next over by guiding a Ashwin delivery to covers for a couple. Three balls later, the New Zealand captain also completed his 23rd Test half-century with a single off Jadeja.
Williamson scored at a decent pace as his fifty came off just 78 balls with five boundaries.
Earlier New Zealand batted patiently to reach 71 for one at lunch on Day 2, in reply to India's first innings score of 318, in the first cricket Test, in Kanpur on Friday.
New Zealand lost Martin Guptill 21) after Umesh Yadav had him trapped leg before.
But the other opener, Tom Latham (25 batting) and skipper Kane Williamson (21 batting) added 36 runs for the unbroken second wicket stand and ensured no further damage at the break.
Indian skipper Virat Kohli gave Jadeja the ball in just the third over of the Kiwi innings but neither him nor Ravichandran Ashwin could do any early damage.
Left-arm spinner Jadeja bowled with four close-in fielders to put the visiting batsmen under pressure but the Kiwis handled the spin with ease.
Kohli took off Umesh Yadav after just one over and persisted with Mohammed Shami from one end, and he kept the scoring rate in check.
When Yadav was brought back, he immediately struck by trapping Guptill (21) in front of the wicket with a ball that swung in.
Guptill has managed only one half-century in his last seven innings now.
Boundaries came few and far between as the batsmen accumulated runs in ones and twos. Williamson and Latham batted cautiously and New Zealand brought up the 50 in the 15th over when Latham swept Ashwin for a single.
Earlier, Ravindra Jadeja's breezy unbeaten 42 helped India post 318 in their first innings before being bowled out by New Zealand.
Resuming on 291 for nine and with number 11 batsman Umesh Yadav (nine) at the other end, Jadeja took the onus of scoring on himself as the pair batted seven overs on the second day.
New Zealand reached 71 for one at lunch on Day 2, in reply to India's first innings score of 318 in the first cricket Test, in Kanpur on Friday.
Earlier, Ravindra Jadeja's breezy unbeaten 42 helped India post 318 in their first innings before being bowled out by New Zealand.
Resuming on 291 for nine and with number 11 batsman Umesh Yadav (nine) at the other end, Jadeja took the onus of scoring on himself as the pair batted seven overs on the second day.
The left-handed batsman hit two boundaries and then took a single off left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner to take India to 300.
Jadeja also hit Santner for a six but could not complete his second test half century as Neil Wagner had Yadav caught behind to end India's 41-run 10th-wicket partnership.
