India crushes New Zealand

Piloted by Virat Kohli, who hit his second consecutive century, and some smart bowling and fielding, India made a winning start in the five-match ODI series against New Zealand on Sunday.


Put into bat by Kiwis stand-in captain Ross Taylor, India were bowled out for 276 in 49 overs, falling 25 to 30 runs short of what skipper Gautam Gambhir would have envisaged, but spinners R Ashwin (3/50) and Yuvraj Singh (3/43) helped the home team to bundle out the Kiwis for 236.

New Zealand's latest loss by 40 runs was their fifth in-a-row in ODIs, coming on the heels of a 0-4 drubbing at the hands of Bangladesh. The Kiwi pacers failed to exploit the early morning conditions as Indian openers Murali Vijay and skipper Gambhir gave the side a fluent start. Vijay started playing his shots early on while Gambhir joined the party soon after hitting Daryl Tuffey for two fours in one over, charging down the wicket. After raising 44 runs in quick time, both, however, perished rather tamely. Vijay tried to loft Tuffey over mid-on only to give a leading edge that wicketkeeper Gareth Hopkins, playing in place of injured Brendon McCullum, held running back a long way behind the wicket.

The Indian lower order could manage just 58 runs in the last 10 overs as seven wickets fell in a heap. It was only because of a late charge by Yusuf Pathan, who hit the only six of the innings, that India managed to put 276 runs on the board. Pathan made 29 off 19 balls. When New Zealand batted, it was Yuvraj, the bowler, who pegged them back by striking thrice in the middle overs. Skipper Taylor only put up some resistance, hitting a 69-ball 66 with the help of three fours and three sixes, and shared a 67-run third-wicket stand with Kane Williamson.

New Zealand kept losing wickets at regular intervals thereafter and would have faded out of the contest but for a belligerent ninth-wicket partnership between Kyle Mills and Nathan McCullum. The duo added 50 runs off 47 balls to briefly revive Kiwis dying hopes. However, Sreesanth, returning for his third spell, dismissed both of successive deliveries to seal a convincing 40-run win. On a slow wicket where Yuvraj and Ashwin were pretty effective, the visitors sorely missed their skipper Daniel Vettori, who was ruled out on the morning of the match with a sore back.