NZ’s win doesn’t D(hon)isappoint India

While India made no changes to their playing eleven, New Zealand made just one change to the eleven that last played the Indians – Ewen Thompson made way for Scott Styris.

On winning the toss, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, India’s skipper, chose to bat. India hadn’t begun their innings when the match was interrupted due to rain. It was reduced to a 43-overs-a-side match.

Gautam Gambhir, who faced 16 balls, scored just five. Twenty-nine balls into the match, he was caught by Peter McGlashan, who never represented New Zealand in One-day Internationals again. Kyle Mills broke the 30-run stand.

India scored 50 off 7.3 overs (51 overs). New Zealand had conceded 14 extras at that point. Suresh Raina, whose 19-ball innings included a boundary, scored just eight. Twenty-nine balls after Gambhir’s dismissal, he was caught by Styris. Jacob Oram broke the 35-run stand.

Virender Sehwag, whose 27-ball innings included three boundaries and as many sixes, scored 40. Thirteen balls later, he was caught by Brendon McCullum. Oram broke the four-run stand. The second Powerplay of India’s innings was between the 13^th and the 16^th over. The bowling Powerplay was reduced to four overs.

Eighteen overs into the match, the first drinks break was taken. India had scored 87 for the loss of three wickets at that point. While Rohit Sharma was batting on eight, Yuvraj Singh was batting on 11. The former, whose 74-ball innings included a boundary and a six, eventually scored 43. He was unbeaten.

Yuvraj, who faced 24 balls, didn’t add to the aforementioned score. Forty-two balls after Sehwag’s dismissal, he was caught by McGlashan. Jesse Ryder, the player of the match, broke the 19-run stand.

India scored 100 off 22 overs (139 balls). New Zealand had conceded 16 overs at that point. The man from Ranchi, whose 21-ball innings included a boundary, scoreD(ho)nine. Thirty-three balls after Yuvraj’s dismissal, Ryder broke the 22-run stand.

Yusuf Pathan, who faced four balls, didn’t get off the mark. Four balls later, Ryder broke the one-run stand. The seventh-wicket pair put on five. Harbhajan Singh, who faced five balls, scored a run. Fifteen balls later, Daniel Vettori, New Zealand’s skipper, and Oram ran him out.

The eighth-wicket pair put on 15. Zaheer Khan, who faced 10 balls, scored five. Twenty-three balls later, Oram and Vettori ran him out.

The batting Powerplay was reduced to four overs. The third Powerplay of India’s innings was between the 32^nd and the 35^th over. Praveen Kumar, whose 12-ball innings included a boundary, scored half-a-dozen. Twenty balls later, he was caught by McGlashan. Iain O’Brien broke the 12-run stand.

Ishant Sharma had no reason to be in seventh heaven – he scored just three. Eleven balls later, he was caught by Ross Taylor. O’Brien broke the six-run stand.

New Zealand eventually conceded 18 extras. India were bundled out for 149 off 36.3 overs. Vettori, who bowled four wicketless overs, conceded 19. Mills, who bowled seven overs, conceded 27. He picked up a wicket.

O’Brien, who bowled 7.3 overs, conceded 43. He picked up a couple of scalps, as did Oram, who bowled nine overs, conceding 22. Ryder, who bowled nine overs, conceded 29. He picked up three scalps.

New Zealand’s target was revised to 150 off 43 overs. McCullum, who faced eight balls, scored just a couple. Fourteen balls into the chase, Kumar broke the nine-run stand.

The second Powerplay of New Zealand’s innings was between the 10^th and the 13^th over. The bowling Powerplay was reduced to four overs.

New Zealand scored 50 off 9.2 overs (56 balls). India hadn’t conceded any extras at that point.

The second-wicket pair put on 50 off 46 balls. While Ryder’s contribution to the partnership was 27, Martin Guptill’s contribution to it was 22. Extras’ contribution to the partnership was a run.

Ryder’s half-century – which included four boundaries and as many sixes – came off 38 balls.

The third Powerplay of New Zealand’s innings was between the 15^th and the 18^th over. The batting Powerplay was reduced to four overs. Ryder, whose 49-ball innings included half-a-dozen boundaries and four sixes, eventually scored 63. Seventy-six balls after McCullum’s dismissal, Ishant broke the 84-run partnership.

New Zealand scored 100 off 15.3 overs (94 balls). India had conceded an extra at that point. That was, incidentally, the number of extras they eventually conceded.

A hundred and ten balls into the chase, the second drinks break was taken. New Zealand had scored 118 for the loss of a couple of wickets at that point. While Guptill was batting on 43, Taylor was batting on nine.

Guptill’s half-century – which included half-a-dozen boundaries and two sixes – came off 49 balls.

The third-wicket pair put on 50 off 49 balls. While Guptill’s contribution to the partnership was 26, Taylor’s contribution to it was 28. Extras didn’t contribute to the partnership.

Guptill, whose 50-ball innings included seven boundaries in addition to the aforementioned number of sixes, eventually scored 57. He was unbeaten, as was Taylor, who didn’t add to the aforementioned score. His 33-ball innings included four boundaries and a six.

New Zealand’s 150 came off 23.2 overs (141 balls). They eventually scored 151 for the loss of two wickets off 23.2 overs, winning by eight wickets with 118 balls to spare. Harbhajan bowled four overs, conceding 15. He was wicketless, as was Khan, who bowled eight overs, including a maiden. He conceded 51.

Kumar bowled four overs, conceding 22. He picked up a wicket, as did Ishant, who bowled 7.2 overs, including a maiden. He conceded 63, picking up a wicket.

India won the five-match series 3-1.