Wellington, Apr. 3 : New Zealand fast bowler James Franklin today rued the fact that India''s batters got away after being pinned to just over 200 runs for the loss of six wickets on the first day of the third and final test being played at the Basin Reserve here.

Franklin shared his teammates disappointment as the last remnants of India''s tail survived to bat on.

India reached stumps at 375 for nine - Ishant Sharma''s 15 and 14 by Munaf Patel the final insult as the last pair helped the tourists recover superbly from 204 for six.

The Indian lower order lashed the bulk of the 185 runs added in the final 35-over session as New Zealand''s luckless bowlers flagged.

"It''s probably balanced at the moment. We got nine wickets in the day and the game is well progressed. As long as we can get that wicket quickly tomorrow and then set about batting for a day and a half, two days then that sets the game up well for us," the NZPA quoted Franklin, as saying.

"They got away with a few lucky shots and the ball didn''t quite go to hand. Sometime''s that''s the way it can be with the tail," added Franklin.

Franklin, who has one for 38 from 14 overs, felt 320 would have been a fairer reflection on the way a fluctuating day panned out, but Harbhajan Singh''s streaky 60 from 78 balls and Zaheer Khan''s 33 from 23 were innings typified by riding their luck effectively.(ANI)