Suresh Raina's fighting unbeaten 61 went in vain as world champions India began their New Zealand tour on a dismal note with the hosts thrashing them by seven wickets in the first Twenty20 tie here on Wednesday
Suresh Raina's fighting unbeaten 61 went in vain as world champions India began their New Zealand tour on a dismal note with the hosts thrashing them by seven wickets in the first Twenty20u00a0tie here on Wednesday.
Put in to bat, India recovered from a mid-innings slump to post a competitive 162 for eight but that proved insufficent as the Kiwis overhauled the target with seven balls to spare. Brendon McCullam (56 not out), Martin Guptill (41), Ross Taylor (31) and Jacob Oram (29 not out) were the notable performers for the hosts who have taken a 1-0 lead in the two-match T20 series.
India started off with a flourish but failed to sustain the tempo to find themseves in trouble at 61 for five by the eighth over. Some lusty hittings by Raina and Harbhajan Singh (21) at the end provided some respectibility to the total. Raina and Harbhajan Singh stitched 61 runs for the eighth wicket, the highest partnership in the innings.
Teen sensation Ishant Sharma strucku00a0off the first ball of his first over, trapping left-handed Jesse Ryder (1) to give India the kind of start they needed. Martin Guptill could have been back in the hutu00a0off the very next ball but Kiwi umpire Evan Watkin was not impressed with the appeal. Replacing Ryder at the wicket, Guptill offered no shot to one, which came back in and could have castled his stumps but Watkin though otherwise. Television replays also showed that the ball could have knocked down off-stump.
The hosts moved steadily towards the target as Guptill and McCullum batted smartly, avoiding risks and putting bad balls to the fence. Black Caps crossed the 50-run mark without losing anymore wicket, causing tension in the Indian camp.
Off-spinner Harbhajan, making a comeback to the team after an injury layoff, provided the breakthrough when he trapped well-set Guptill to keep India afloat in the match. Before departing, Guptill hit four fours and three sixes and shared a 54-run stand with McCullum.
Building on the good start, Ross Taylor and McCullum carted Indian bowlers all around the park. Taylor hit Yusuf Pathan for two sixes and one four in the 12th over to bring up 100 for the hosts. As the match yet again tilted towards the hosts, Indian paceman Zaheer Khan dismissed Taylor (31), raising Indian hopes once again. But in the end McCullum and Jacob Oram romped home without any difficulty.
Earlier, the Indians made their intentions clear right from the first ball as Gautam Gambhir charged up the pitch from the first ball of match but it was Virender Sehwag who began the onslaught. The Delhi marauder made an incredible start, mercilessly hitting Tim Southee for three sixesu00a0u2014 all on leg-side u2014 in the first three balls he faced, giving India 19 runs from the first over.
Gambhir opened up with a furious cover drive off Iain O' Brien but missed the next one, which uprooted his middle stump.
But it had no impact on Sehwag, who lofted Ian Butler over the long-off for his fourth six. However, O'Brien began the Indian slide, castling Gambhir (6) and Sehwag in successive overs, leaving the innings in tatters.
Rohit Sharma (7), Yuvraj Singh (1) and Mahedra Singh Dhoni fell in a quick succession as India stuttered to 61 for five in eight overs.
It took some lusty hitting by Suresh Raina, who hit five sixes and two fours, and Yusuf Pathan, who made 20 with three sixes to pull India back into the game. But an astounding catch by Jacob Oram on the ropes at long, cut short what could have been an entertaining innings by Yusuf.
Yusuf had struck three successive sixes off Nathan McCullum in the 10th over when an attempted fourth six which seemed to sail over the ropes was plucked out of the air by the gangling Oram. Sensing that he would step over the ropes, he popped the ball into the play, went over the ropes while pushing the ball into the field and in jiffy stepped back into the playing area to complete the catch.
Yusuf couldn't believe his eyes, but Oram celebrated his return to international cricket with a stunner which raised the bar of New Zealand s fielding, regarded to be the best in world cricket.
At 82 for six India were deep in doldrums but Raina, who struck five towering sixes with effortless ease, found allies in Irfan Pathan (12) and Harbhajan. O'Brien and and Ian Butler claimed two wickets apiece. Daniel Vettori, regarded as the best left-arm spinner in international cricket, did a marvellous job with the ball, conceding a mere 18 runs in four overs.
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