Sunday, Nov 16, 2003
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By S. Dinakar
Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag pep each other up during their century knocks against New Zealand in the last league match of the tri-series, in Hyderabad on Saturday. — Photo: P. V. Sivakumar
If Sachin Tenudlkar and Virender Sehwag packed a one-two combination opening punch that sent the Kiwis reeling, Rahul Dravid showed he could shatter through `the Wall' as well. The match was billed as a shootout yet it was the Indian Guns that boomed, sending the packed crowd into a rather wild dance of celebration on a Saturday. The New Zealanders did not really know what hit them after Ganguly won the toss at the Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium. Runs came in a cascade on a pitch that held no devils as India ended its fifty overs at a whopping 353 for five. In pursuit of a huge score, the Kiwis required a blistering start, but a zestful opening burst from Ajit Agarkar - he rightly replaced Aashish Nehra in the eleven - jolted the visitor and they never really recovered and lost by 145 runs. Zaheer Khan may have a won a debatable leg-before decision against Lou Vincent, but this was a night when the Kiwis never really were in the hunt, a brave 39-ball 54 by the spunky Scott Styris notwithstanding. There was some assistance for the spinners in the second half of the match. Leggie Anil Kumble put his experience to good use, while left-arm spinner Murali Kartik, once again made an impression with his willingness to flight. The Indians, led on the field by Dravid after Ganguly suffered a groin injury, appeared charged for the occasion, and the Kiwis crumbled under pressure. Earlier, Tendulkar conjured a blistering 91-ball 102, Virender Sehwag, shrugging off indifferent form and a chancy start, dismissed the ball to the distant corners of the field during his 130 that consumed only 134 deliveries, and then after Ganguly, promoting himself in the order, chipped in with a cameo (33 off 31), Rahul Dravid, in the company of Mohammed Kaif, turned a destroyer, blazing his way to a 22-ball unbeaten 50. Tendulkar and Sehwag, with the former dominant, blitzed in the beginning, rattling up 182 in an equal number of deliveries, Sehwag and Ganguly raised 74 in 64 balls for the second wicket, and then arrived the sensational unbroken 50-run sixth-wicket partnership off just 23 balls between Dravid and Kaif, as the Kiwi attack was sliced open. New Zealand appeared a team without a soul with its influential but injured captain Stephen Fleming missing, and with the game running away from him rapidly, stand-in skipper Chris Cairns ran out of ideas. However, he was let down some wayward bowling - there was a measure of help for the pacemen initially - and sloppy fielding. Even the normally reliable Lou Vincent put down Sehwag at deep point with the Delhi batsman on 26. In a sign of things to come, the Kiwi pace spearhead Darryl Tuffey was dealt with severely by Sehwag, who smashed the bowler for three successive fours. Tuffey went for 34 in five overs and Sehwag went on to complete his six ODI hundred. He was named man-of-the-match. On way to his 36th ODI century, Tendulkar whipped up several scorching shots, but none better than his exquisite cover-drive off Jacob Oram that had everything - footwork, timing, placement, balance. And Dravid, during his effort that held a message, was at his innovative best, his finest moment coming when he struck Styris for a stunning six over covers. There were a couple of endearing momemts too that will stay in the mind for a long time - Fleming carrying drinks to fielders on the boundary line, and Tendulkar, with the enthusiasm of a schoolboy, rushing out to double up as a runner for Ganguly after the skipper experienced pain in the groin. SCOREBOARD
New Zealand bowling: Tuffey 9-1-69-1 (w-4), Mills 10-0-54-1 (w-1, nb-1), Oram 7-0-67-0, Cairns 7-0-47-0 (w-1), Styris 6-0-46-2, Vettori 6-0-35-0, Harris 5-0-29-1.
India bowling: Zaheer 8-1-30-3 (w-3), Agarkar 6-0-28-2 (w-4), Tendulkar 8-0-40-0 (nb-1), Kumble 10-1-36-2, Kartik 10-0-38-2, Yuvraj 5-0-25-0.
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