Kanpur, Sep 23 (IANS): Heavy rain forced match officials to call off the final session's play on the second day of the first cricket Test between India and New Zealand at the Green Park Stadium here on Friday.

Tom Latham (56 batting) and Kane Williamson (66 batting) were the two New Zealand batsmen holding fort in the middle with the visitors on 152/1 in their first innings in response to India's first innings total of 318 runs.

New Zealand now trail the hosts by 166 runs with nine wickets remaining.

Latham has hit five boundaries so far during his patient 137-ball stay in the middle while Williamson has managed to find the ropes seven times in his 115-ball knock.

Fast bowler Umesh Yadav was the only Indian to bag a wicket, trapping Guptill leg before for figures of 1/22.

Rain played spoilsport just as the players were about to leave the field for tea with a steady drizzle forcing the groundsmen to bring the covers out.

The resumption of play was subsequently postponed for an indefinite period.

With the rain continuing to lash the ground more than an hour after the tea interval, the match officials eventually decided to call it a day.

Brief scores:

New Zealand (first innings) 152/1 (Tom Latham 56 batting, Kane Williamson 66 batting; Umesh Yadav 1/22) vs India (first innings) 318 (Murali Vijay 65, Cheteshwar Pujara 62, Ravindra Jadeja 42 not out; Trent Boult 3/67, Mitchell Santner 3/94).