Dada-led India beat NZ, advance

India made just one change to their playing eleven – Ashish Nehra made way for Anil Kumble. New Zealand made one change to the eleven that last played the Indians – Stephen Fleming made way for Chris Cairns, who was, in fact, leading the team.

On winning the toss, Sourav Ganguly, India’s skipper, chose to bat. They scored 50 off 10.2 overs. While Virender Sehwag, the player of the match, was batting on 26 at that point, Sachin Tendulkar was batting on 14.

The Indians scored 100 off 16.1 overs. While Sehwag was batting on 38 then, Tendulkar was batting on 52. They scored 150 off 25.1 overs. While Sehwag was batting on 53 then, Tendulkar was batting on 88.

Tendulkar's ton – which included a dozen boundaries and a six – came off 87 balls. He scored 102 off 91 balls. A hundred and eighty-one balls into the match, he was caught by Jacob Oram. Chris Harris broke the 182-run partnership.

The Indians scored 200 off 34 overs. While Sehwag was batting on 82 then, Ganguly was batting on five. Ganguly, whose 31-ball innings included four boundaries, scored 33. Sixty-four balls later, he was caught by Daryl Tuffey. Scott Styris broke the 74-run partnership.

Sehwag, whose 134-ball innings included 15 boundaries and a couple of sixes, scored 130. His century – which included 11 boundaries and a six – came off 119 balls. Seventeen balls later, he was caught by Lou Vincent. Styris broke the 27-run stand.

Yuvraj Singh, who faced 10 balls, had no reason to be in seventh heaven – three balls later, he was caught by Harris. Kyle Mills broke the one-run stand. Rahul Dravid, whose 22-ball innings included five boundaries and three sixes, scored 50. He was unbeaten.

V V S Laxman, who faced four balls, gave the crowd in his hometown no reason to cheer – he scored just three. A dozen balls later, Tuffey broke the 19-run stand. Mohammad Kaif, whose nine-ball innings included a couple of boundaries, scored 15. He was unbeaten.

New Zealand conceded 13 extras. India scored 353 for the loss of five wickets off 50 overs. Daniel, who bowled V(ettor)I wicketless overs, conceded 35. Oram and Cairns bowled seven wicketless overs apiece. While the former conceded 67, the latter conceded 47.

Harris, who bowled five overs, conceded 29. He picked up a wicket. Tuffey bowled nine overs, including a maiden. He conceded 69, picking up a wicket. Mills, who bowled 10 overs, conceded 54. He picked up a wicket. Styris, who bowled half-a-dozen overs, conceded 46. He picked up a couple of scalps.

Chris Nevin, who faced four balls, scored a run. A dozen balls into the chase, Ajit Agarkar broke the eight-run stand. Harris, who faced four balls, scored a run. Nineteen balls later, he was trapped leg before wicket by Agarkar, who broke the 17-run stand.

Vincent, whose 32-ball innings included five boundaries, scored 22. Twenty-one balls later, he was trapped leg before wicket by Zaheer Khan, who broke the 23-run stand.

New Zealand scored 50 off 9.1 overs. While Styris was batting on 17 at that point, Craig McMillan hadn’t opened his account. They scored 100 off 18.2 overs. While Styris was batting on 42, McMillan scored 20. The latter’s 36-ball innings included a couple of boundaries. Sixty-six balls later, he was caught by Dravid. Anil Kumble broke the 62-run partnership.

Styris, whose 49-ball innings included nine boundaries, scored 54. Sixteen balls later, he was caught by Ajit Agarkar. Murali Kartik broke the eight-run stand. Oram, whose 16-ball innings included a boundary, scored 11. Twenty-four balls later, he was stumped by Dravid. Kartik broke the 18-run stand.

New Zealand scored 150 off 30.2 overs. While Cairns was batting on 20 at that point, Brendon McCullum was batting on three. The former, whose 36-ball innings included a boundary and the only six of the innings, scored 23. Twenty-nine balls later, he was caught by Khan. The (Kumb)leggie broke the 18-run stand.

The eighth-wicket pair put on 33. Vettori, whose 25-ball innings included a boundary, scored 19. Sixty balls later, Yuvraj and Tendulkar ran him out. New Zealand scored 200 off 44 overs. While McCullum was batting on 28 at that point, Mills was batting on a couple.

McCullum, whose 69-ball innings included three boundaries, scored 31. Thirty-three balls later, he was trapped leg before wicket by Khan, who broke the 21-run stand. Although Mills, whose innings included a boundary, was unbea‘ten’, he had no reason to be in seventh heaven.

The last-wicket pair didn’t get off the mark. Tuffey, who faced two balls, didn’t open his account. A couple of balls later, he was trapped leg before wicket by Khan. India conceded 13 extras. New Zealand, who were dismissed for 208 off 47 overs, lost by 145 runs.

Yuvraj, who bowled five overs, conceded 25. He was wicketless, as was Tendulkar, who bowled eight overs, conceding 40. Agarkar, who bowled half-a-dozen overs, conceded 28. He picked up a couple of wickets.

Kartik and Kumble bowled 10 overs each, picking up a couple of wickets apiece. While the former conceded 38, the latter, whose spell included a maiden, conceded 36. Khan bowled eight overs, including a maiden. He conceded 30, picking up three scalps.

India advanced.