(This entry was originally published on Tuesday, March 17th, 2009)
It is a very good opportunity for Indian cricket team to do something impressive in the land of New Zealand. For the last 30 years, team India has just suffered one after another defeat. This is indeed the best opportunity for them to change the record of the past and to start a new beginning. It is the top job and almost impossible and I feel that there is a psychological disadvantage for the Indian cricketers but the way they’re going at this moment, I have to admit that it is not impossible at all. All the supporters in home and abroad know that they can do it and they’re very near to it. The first test match the fastest match is going to take place on eighteen March, 2009 and this will be an important test before the Indian cricket team.
Match: New Zealand vs India, First Test 2009
Date: 18 March 2009
Venue: Seddon Park, Hamilton
Time: 11:00 local time (22:00 GMT)
India at first lost the Twenty20 series but then impressively came back at the ODI series. So, confidence is high for DHoni and his men. The only thing that is going on at this moment in the mind of captain Dhoni is to end the record of continuous failure in New Zealand.
The Hindu wrote:
Not even Sachin Tendulkar, the most experienced player in the Indian line-up with a tag of 156 Tests, has tasted victory in seven Tests he has played on New Zealand’s soil. And that itself shows the enormity of the task confronting Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his team.
India last won a series in New Zealand forty years ago and their last Test victory here came way back in 1976. The statistics at Seddon Park here are more gory. The famed Indian batsmen were blown away for 99 and 154, losing the second Test by four wickets in their last tour in 2002, which India lost 0-2.
Judging by the current performance, India is overwhelmingly the favorite team in the test series. By the way, you can find schedule of the test series here. But if they’ll want to win the match then you have to agree with me that a lot of responsibility lies with the batsmen and some of them are very experienced but they do not have that much good track record in New Zealand. This is the thing that is perhaps the main cause of concern for the players and supporters alike. Of course, there is something else in favor of them too. New Zealand is now a very weak team and they have a weak bowling line up. In the last few times, it was always the bowlers of New Zealand who could finish Indian batting within a very low score. It has happened during the time of Kapil Dev and Gavaskar, it has also happened during the time of Ganguly, Tendulkar and Dravid. Well, until the time of Ganguly’s captaincy, team India always looked vulnerable at foreign tours. Hopefully Dhoni can take this matter even further.
Well, you should not take the Kiwis that lightly no matter how much weak they have become. There is no guarantee that they will not shine tomorrow. Not only that they recently showed Australia that they really can become dangerous at any time anywhere. So, please, whatever you do, do not rule them out or do not take them lightly. Good thing is that Indian players know this matter and they also know that they will have to do something extra ordinary to change the past record.
Cricinfo wrote:
They weren’t supposed to draw an ODI series against Australia, in Australia, in February. But for rain in the final ODI, they would have won it. New Zealand are dangerous underdogs. And they will relish the challenge of facing, in home conditions, a team trying to push for the No. 1 spot in the Test rankings. Also, when it comes to their head-to-head record against India, they still have the upper hand. And even when they have lost, they haven’t been outplayed.
Here, I am giving the list of live score websites:
Cricinfo
Sify sports
action8cricket
cricketnext
Headlinesindia.com
CRICBUZZ
123INDIA.COM
Cricket365
Thatscricket
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