India Bounced Back on Gautam Gambhir Century in the 2nd Test against New Zealand

(This entry was originally published on Saturday, March 28th, 2009)

After New Zealand’s dominance for 3 consecutive days, India has at last bounced back on the fourth day of the second test. Opener Gautam Gambhir’s fifth test century gave India a solid platform in their pursuit to save the match. Thanks to his unbeaten 102, India reached at 252 for 2 at stumps in their second innings and the visiting side is still trialing by 62 runs. India lost the Sehwag’s wicket yesterday and was facing a seemingly defeat, but 133-run stand between Gambhir and Dravid for the second wicket lifted India’s hopes of saving the match. Dravid played a very slow but effecting innings of 62 off 220 balls before being dismissed by Daniel Vettori. Sachin Tendulkar is batting on 58 along with centurion Gambhir. Vettori and Patel both got a wicket each.

With 62 runs still needed to get past New Zealand’s first innings total, India is still on the back-foot, but at this moment, they are in a position from where they can save the match. Tomorrow, the first session will be very crucial for both sides. If New Zealand bowlers can dismiss India within one and half session, the home side can still win the match. India, on the other hand, can bat for a draw or throw New Zealand a challenging target to chase on. So, both sides can win the match from this situation or the match could even end up in a draw. Now, let us see if cricket fans are going to experience an eventful day or a dragging 5^th day in the Napier test.

India’s Historic Test Match Win in New Zealand and Some Points

(This entry was originally published on Saturday, March 21st, 2009)

I think, you already know India defeated New Zealand in the Hamilton Test by 10 wickets in what ended their 33-year wait for a test match win on New Zealand soil. No doubt, it is a great achievement for Dhoni’s team and considering the thumping victory in four days, I think, Indian team deserves accolade and praise. India’s poor performances in previous New Zealand tours have made this victory even more glorified. You can also increase the glory of this victory by considering the fact that India had a batting line up, featuring Sachin, Ganguly, Dravid, Laxman and Sehwag, when they last visited New Zealand in 2002-03 tour. Well, here I have some points regarding today’s emphatic victory in Hamilton:

New Zealand’s typical seaming condition and wicket had a great part to play for the home side during India’s previous few tours in New Zealand. If you look back to India’s last tour in the country in 2002-03, you can see that both the test matches were very low scoring with New Zealand’s 247 in the first innings of the first test being the highest total in the entire series. In fact, this was the only instance a team’s innings total crossed 200-run mark and India’s highest score in an innings was 161 in the two-match test series. I can still remember that Stephen Fleming, the then captain of New Zealand team, did not use any spinner in the entire test series, even though Daniel Vettori played in both the matches. Wickets of both tests offered lots of uneven bounce, swing and pace for the pacers on both sides. Moreover, New Zealand had a very good pace attack in the presence of Shane Bond and Daryl Tuffey who were instrumental behind their excellent performance.

However, the condition seems to have been totally changed this time as the Hamilton wicket did barely offer anything for the bowlers, except the first session of the first day. Moreover, the strength of New Zealand’s pace attack in the absence of Bond and Tuffey has been depleted. I think, New Zealand’s lack of quality in its pace attack on a flat pitch played a big part behind India’s emphatic victory in the first. Well, do not blame me for overshadowing the excellent performance of Indian team. I just want to say that Dhoni’s team did not face as dangerous a pace attack and tough condition as Ganguly’s team had faced in their previous tour.

India’s batsmen dominated the New Zealand bowlers in a flat pitch of Hamilton, while Indian pacers and spinner Harbhajan Singh got on top of inexperienced New Zealand batting line up which lacks the quality batsmen like Craig McMillan, Stephen Fleming and Nathan Astle. There is no doubt, New Zealand’s depleted strength and lack of a fierce condition and wicket helped India to clinch a historic victory against New Zealand in the first test.

India in Driving Seat against New Zealand in the First Test

(This entry was originally published on Thursday, March 19th, 2009)

At the end of the second day of the first test in Hamilton, visiting India reached 278 for 4 when the bad light stopped the play, and thus, trialing New Zealand’s first innings total by 1 run. Sachin Tendulkar is not out on 70 with Yuvraj Singh on 8.

India started the day on pervious day’s 29 with two openers Sehwag and Gambhir batting on 22 and 6 respectively. Sehwag got run out after adding only 2 runs to his previous day’s score of 22, but Gambhir completed another test half-century and scored 72 before becoming the first victim of Martin. Rahul Dravid got out on 66 after playing a stroke full innings. Laxman looked well-set in the wicket, but made a mistake when he edged Martin to Taylor, getting out for 30.

Sachin Tendulkar did not make any mistake as he completed his 52^nd test fifty and went on to remain not out on 70 when stumps along with Yuvraj Singh unbeaten on 8. Chris Martin picked up 2 wickets for 53, while Iain O’Brien got a wicket conceding 56 runs. Captain Daniel Vettori was very economical but finished with a figure of 40 without loss in 16 overs.

So, it seems that Indian team is now in a solid position with just one run behind New Zealand’s total in the first innings with 6 wickets in hands.

India-New Zealand First Test 2009: First Day Report

(This entry was originally published on Wednesday, March 18th, 2009)

Three-match test series between India and New Zealand started today with the first test being kicked off at Hamilton. At the end of the first day of the first test, visiting India seems to be in driving seat after dismissing New Zealand for 279 in the first innings and reaching 29 without losing any wicket in their first innings.

Winning the toss, Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni elected to bowl first which Indian pacers justified later on. New Zealand openers reached 17 without facing any big problem, but the Kiwis lost 6 wickets for just 43 runs, leaving their score 60 for 6. Zaheer Khan brought the breakthrough for India when he dismissed Martin Guptill for 14 and he followed it up in the next over, claiming the wicket of Flynn. New Zealand was put under pressure when Ishant Sharma and Munaf Patel also joined in picking up wickets. After losing 6 wicket pretty early, Jesse Ryder and Captain Daniel Vettori shared a 186-run partnership for the seventh wicket which pushed New Zealand towards a somewhat modest total in the first innings. Ryder scored his maiden test hundred, playing an excellent innings of 102 before being the fourth victim of Ishant Sharma, while Vettori scored 118, his third test century, hitting 14 boundaries and 2 over-boundaries.

Ishant Sharma took 4 wickets, while Munaf Patel and Zaheer Khan picked up 3 and 2 wickets respectively. Harbhajan Singh picked up another wicket. Indian openers were replying very well till the stumps of the day as Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag remained undefeated on 6 and 22 respectively with India reaching 29 runs.

India Lost the Fifth ODI to New Zealand and Some Points

(This entry was originally published on Saturday, March 14th, 2009)

New Zealand clinched a consolation victory in the final ODI of the series. Despite the defeat, India has won the five-match ODI series 3-1 with another match being abandoned due to rain. The kind of dominance India showed in the first four matches was found in New Zealand in the last match as the Kiwis picked up a 8-wicket victory. In the rain-curtailed match, 43 over were allocated for both sides each. Winning the toss, India elected to bat first and got dismissed for 149 within 36.3 overs. Rohit Sharma scored an unbeaten 43 and Sehwag scored 40, while other batsmen failed to excel in the match. Jesse Ryder picked up 3 wickets for 29. New Zealand reached the winning target within 23.2 overs, losing only 2 wickets. Opener Jesse Ryder played a fiery innings of 63 off 49, while Martin Guptill scored 57 runs of 50 balls. Naturally, Ryder was awarded the man of the match award for his all round performance.

Here, I want to raise some points about Indian team selection. India was leading 3-0 in the series before going into the match and win or defeat would not have any big impact on the match. So, India had the opportunity to rest some of their senior members ahead of the test series which is very important for India to win in their bid to clinch the no. 1 spot in ODI ranking. I think, India should have rested Zaheer Khan who played all of the ODI matches. Moreover, India should have given a chance to the players like Irfan Pathan, Pragyan Ojha and Dinesh Karthik who did not take part in the ODI series. Dinesh Karthik is also in the test squad and I think, he should have handed a chance in the ODI series before the commencement of the test series.

Well, Indian team management might say that they wanted to finish the ODI series with a victory and that is why, they did not bring any change in their final eleven. India played a full-strength squad that suffered a humiliating defeat. Will it be helpful for the side to retain their confidence before the test series? The defeat would not count much on their confidence, had India drafted some of those unused players in the last ODI.

India vs New Zealand 5th ODI 2009: Preview & Live Score

(This entry was originally published on Friday, March 13th, 2009)

India takes on New Zealand at Auckland on 14 March 2009 in the last match of the ongoing ODI series. India is looking for a clean sweep in the series, while New Zealand looks to clinch a confidence-booster consolidating victory before the test series, starting from 18 March. India won three of the four matches held so far in the series with the other match being abandoned due to rain. Naturally, India dominated over the home side in the ODI series after losing the Twenty20 series. So, you do not need to be a cricket specialist to understand that India will go into the last match with a view to making it 4-0 in the series. New Zealand, on the other hand, could not yet cope up with the high-flying form of Indian batsmen who have been in scintillating form so far in the series and if the home side wants to bring something in their favor in the last match of the series, they must find a way to restrict the Indian batsmen.

Match: New Zealand vs India, Fifth ODI 2009

Venue: Eden Park, Auckland, New Zealand

Date: 14 March 2009, Saturday

Time: Local Time 14:00 (01:00 GMT)

Live on TV: Sony Sat Max

India went into the Twenty20 series with the tag of Twenty20 world champion, and they had recent success story in Sri Lanka on their back, but the Indians failed to show the any dominance over the depleted Kiwi side in what indicated a hardly-fought ODI series. However, the reality has been totally different from what had been expected before the series got underway. No doubt, New Zealand bowlers must take a big part of the blame, while the Indian batsmen should be given a large part of the credit. To be honest, New Zealand batsmen and Indian bowlers were left in such a condition in almost every game from where they had no scope to alter the result. Well, by stating this, I am not underestimating the New Zealand batsmen and Indian bowlers. In fact, they churned out some inspirational performances in their attempt to add some spice to the series, though all of those efforts were of no avail as those had no big impact on the series.

With one match left in hand and the series being already decided, India can afford to bring some change in the squad in their bid to test the reserve side, giving chances to some of the players like Dinesh Karthik, Pragyan Ojha and Irfan Pathan who have remained unused in the ODI series. As far as I am concerned about Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, he would not let the chance of testing some of the reserve players go down as he knows that even a defeat would not snatch the series away from their grasp. I think, India would rest some of their senior players to bring some of the young players who could not play in the series. Moreover, India might bring a change in the batting order to create some batting opportunity for the players like Yusuf Pathan who did not get enough chance to show their batting talent in the series. Sachin Tendulkar is doubtful for the fifth match as he is still suffering from his groin injury that he picked up during his majestic innings in the third ODI. I do not think that India would not risk Tendulkar by playing him for an insignificant match.

There might be some changes in Indian bowling line up with Pragyan Ojha and Irfan Pathan are likely to be drafted into the final eleven, though I am not quite sure about who are the player to make way for the duo. Ojha was impressive in Sri Lanka and I think, he deserves a match in New Zealand. For Pathan, he was not impressive in the Twenty20 series, but he should be given a chance in order to rest veteran pacer Zaheer Khan. Moreover, it would also be a smart move from India if they play Dinesh Karthik in the final ODI so that the wicketkeeper batsman can get some opportunity to get used to the New Zealand condition ahead of the test series.

New Zealand has just one problem and that is: their key players, specially the bowlers, are currently running out of form. I earlier mentioned that New Zealand batsmen did not enough any chance to dictate in the series due to poor performance by their bowlers, but I must admit that their middle order batsmen failed to show any resistance against Indian bowlers in most of the matches. Opening pair Jesse Ryder and Brendon McCullum brought a solid start in some matches, but their middle order batsmen failed to capitalize on that. They squandered off the momentum brought out by the openers in most of the matches, though I admit that in most of the matches they were chasing a huge target set by the Indian batsmen. Martin Guptill and Ross Taylor, who dominated the Australian bowlers in their recent series in Australia, failed to continue their excellent form in the current series. Jacob Oram returned in action after getting over his injury, but could not yet impress.

However, the players like Peter McGlashan showed some moments of glory, but that was not satisfactory, considering the overall performance of New Zealand middle order. New Zealand called up all rounder Scott Styris as left-arm pacer Ewen Thompson, who debuted in the fourth ODI against India, injured his left thumb during practice. However, the pacer’s condition will be assessed in the morning of the match-day before taking a final decision over the final eleven for the fifth match. I do not think that New Zealand would change a lot in their final eleven for the last match because they are expected to be desperate to make it 3-1 in the series with the hope of get some confidence back before the test series.

The match will take place at the Eden Park, Auckland which is a small ground. So, you can see that Indian batsmen have a reason to be happy before the fifth ODI. Rain has become a big problem in the series as almost all the matches were somehow affected by rain. The fear seems to remain in Auckland too, because the weather over the ground was not stable over the last couple of days as there was both sunshine and shower. So, I would not be surprised if we can see another rain-curtailed match in the fifth ODI of the series.

Online Live Score and Updates

Here, I am giving some website names from where you can get the live score and updates of the match:

Cricinfo

Sify sports

action8cricket

cricketnext

Headlinesindia.com

CRICBUZZ

123INDIA.COM

Cricket365

Thatscricket

India is definitely favorite for the last match too after their dominating form in all of the four matches in the series. However, as India is expected to bring some changes in their winning combination, New Zealand might face a depleted Indian team in the last match of the series. So, I think, New Zealand has a very good chance of picking up a consolation victory in the fifth ODI. What I hope is to experience some mind-blowing performance from both sides in a seemingly unimportant match.

India Clinches the ODI Series Winning the 4th ODI over New Zealand

(This entry was originally published on Wednesday, March 11th, 2009)

Winning the fourth ODI by 84 runs (D/L method) at Hamilton, India has clinched the ongoing ODI series against New Zealand. Like the first three ODI matches, India continued their domination over the home side in the fourth match too. After missing the third ODI as he was on paternity leave, New Zealand Captain Daniel Vettori returned in action with this match, but still New Zealand failed to avoid the series defeat. Batting first, New Zealand scored 270 runs losing 5 wickets in 47 overs. Due to bad weather and rain, the match was reduced to 47 overs. Indian openers were merciless from the very beginning and dominated over the New Zealand bowlers as they reached 201 runs without losing any wicket within 23.3 overs when rain intervened for the second time during Indian innings and match officials declared India the winner according to D/L method.

Vettori won the toss and decided to bat first on a pitch that offers the bowlers some help early on the day. New Zealand put on a competitive total of 270 runs on the board thanks to excellent batting performance by the opening pair Jesse Ryder and Brendon McCullum, who shared 102 runs in 19.1 overs. Ryder fell just 4 runs short of his half century, while McCullum went on to score 77 off 95 balls. New Zealand However, the fiery batting display from Peter McGlashan, who played a 42-ball 56, and Grant Elliott, who chipped in 35 off 27 balls, guided the home side towards a fighting total.

Among the Indian bowlers, Ishant Sharma, who returned to action after recovering his injury, took 2 wickets, though he was very expensive. Zaheer Khan, Yusuf Pathan and Yuvraj Singh picked up a wicket each. India’s opening pair Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir, who retained the opening spot in the absence of regular opener Sachin Tendulkar, gave no chance to the New Zealand bowlers. Sehwag completed his century off only 60 balls, hitting a six over the mid off region off Vettori. Sehwag remained not out on 125 off 74 with 14 boundaries and 6 over boundaries, while Gambhir was not out on 63 from 67 balls, hitting 6 boundaries.

For his fiery show, Sehwag was awarded the man of the match award. With this victory, India has taken a 3-0 lead which is unattainable for New Zealand with a match left in hand.

India Wins the 3rd ODI by 58 Runs, Stretching their Lead to 2-0

(This entry was originally published on Sunday, March 8th, 2009)

India pulled off an excellent 58-run victory against New Zealand in the third ODI in Christchurch today. The run-flooded match amused the cricket fans to the fullest as both sides’ combined total stands at 726 runs for the loss of 14 wickets in 95.1 overs. Batting first, India amassed a huge total of 392 runs losing 4 wickets in 50 overs with Sachin Tendulkar scoring a thrashing hundred. In reply, host side also started off well thanks to fiery batting of their openers, but they lost momentum in the middle of the innings and lost wickets pretty regularly and got all out for 334 with Jesse Ryder scoring a brilliant century.

Tendulkar scored 163 runs before being retired hurt off 133 balls. Yuvraj Singh played an excellent innings of 87 runs off 60 balls, while Dhoni contributed 68 runs off 58 balls. In the end, Suresh Raina’s 18-ball 38 also helped India towards the huge total. New Zealand openers Jesse Ryder and Brendon McCullum shared 166 runs in their opening stand in just 22 overs. However, middle order batsmen lost the momentum as they failed to capitalize on the solid start. Kyle Mills and Tim Southee gave a last try to chase down the total but Mills’ 54 and Southee’s 32 were not enough to help New Zealand win the match.

India vs New Zealand 2nd ODI 2009: Preview, Live Score

(This entry was originally published on Thursday, March 5th, 2009)

Cricket world is struck by Lahore’s terror attack on Sri Lankan cricket team and ICC match officials which has triggered an unprecedented phase that cricket has never gone through. Well, after all these things, life needs to be continued and cricket is still there to entertain you as India is going to face host New Zealand in the second ODI of the five-match ODI series at the Westpac Stadium, Wellington on 6 March 2009. After the convincing victory in the first ODI in Napier, India is now looking to double their lead in the series, while the home side is desperate to bounce back by winning the second one day international.

Match: New Zealand vs India, Second ODI 2009

Date: 6 March 2009

Venue: Westpac Stadium, Wellington, New Zealand

Time: Local Time 14:00 (01:00 GMT)

Live TV: Sony Set Max, DD Sports

Well, India made a steady come back in the first ODI, brushing aside the double blows that they suffered in the two-match Twenty20 series which New Zealand won by 2-0. The defeats pulled India back into the reality and the result was shown in the first ODI. Indian team has had a very successful tour in Sri Lankan recently as they defeated the home side by 4-1 in the ODI series, with the only defeat coming in the final ODI.

It is in now pretty much certain that Indian team retained the confidence that they lost (if any) during the Twent20 series. India has got an inspirational captain in Mahendra Singh Dhoni who has positive approach towards the game and always thinks logically without letting his players feel complacency. However, it is true that Dhoni has got a bunch of talented cricketers who are always in the race to cement their place in the squad, making them try to play their best in every game. Moreover, the captain’s knock from Dhoni in the first match has now become a great source of inspiration for the team. No doubt, his coming in at no. 3 in the batting order was a big surprise for the New Zealand team who seemed unaware of what Dhoni’s approach. They might have been in a dilemma whether the Indian captain would start hitting the ball around the field or carry through till the end. That trick worked pretty well for the visiting side who could successfully capitalize on a solid start initiated by opener Virender Sehwag thanks to his hard-hitting batting display.

India can surprise the oppositions with this kind of shuffle in the batting line up sometime, but I think, it would be better if Dhoni bats at no. 6 in most of the games because of few reasons. First of all, Dhoni has developed an excellent skill of batting under pressure and carry on the innings till the end, taking huge responsibility on his shoulder which is very important when you are chasing. Stating that, I am not underrating the players like Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina or Gautam Gambhir. All of them are excellent hitters and most importantly, perfect match winners. Dhoni can also hit the ball very hard and knows very well how to thrash the opposition bowling, but what he also possesses is that he can rotate the strike continuously, even when under pressure. There is no doubt, Dhoni’s versatility as a batsman is an added advantage for India.

So, I think, the no. 3 spot should be given to someone among Gautam Gambhir, Suresh Raina and Yuvraj Singh. Here, I would prefer Gambhir for the no. 3 spot because he is a natural opener and he should be given more chance to face the ball before it becomes old. There is less likely to see any change as far as Indian squad in concerned. Praveen Kumar picked up a two early wickets in the first match, putting the New Zealand team under pressure, while Zaheer Khan was also impressive with the ball. Munaf Patel was not successful, but India would not take any risk by playing injured Ishant Sharma until he gets over the injury fully. Harbhajan Singh was the most successful among the Indian bowlers in the first match, picking up highest three wickets, all of those coming in one over. In fact, I would say that over was the turning point of the match, as New Zealand’s last hope was ended after that excellent over. Yusuf Pathan will play as the second spinner in the squad and his leg spin would bring a much-needed variation in the squad.

New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori has vowed that his side would bounce back in the second ODI and that is what, the home fans are looking for at this moment. However, New Zealand might miss their in-form wicketkeeper batsman Brendon McCullum as he picked up a thumb injury while keeping during the first ODI.

There is a possibility that McCullum would play as a specialist batsman. In that case, Peter McGlashan will be seen behind the wicket and Neil Broom will be excluded from the squad. If McCullum does not play even as a batsman, Martin Guptill will move up the order to open the New Zealand innings along with Jesse Ryder. Kyle Mill returned in the first match after getting over his injury, but had a disastrous game. However, his excellent bowling in Australia tour would help him retain a place in the final eleven. However, I think, Tim Southee should be included in the second match squad, because he showed excellent prospect in Australia and he really deserves a place in the second match. Now, the question comes that who will make way for Southee. Well, I think, New Zealand pacers were not impressive at all in the first ODI and it would not be very hard to keep someone out for the second ODI to include Southee. However, Captain Daniel Vettori will have to play a big role with his left arm spin if New Zealand is to level the series in Wellington.

The wicket of Westpac Stadium seems to be slow and offer less help to the seam bowlers. So, Vettori and Harbhajan might get some help from the wicket and they are expected to play the big part for their respective teams in the second match. Rain has been forecast for the second match too and you can see another rain-curtailed match tomorrow.

Online Live Score and Updates

Here, I am giving some website name from where you can get the live score and updates of the match:

Cricinfo

Sify sports

action8cricket

cricketnext

Headlinesindia.com

CRICBUZZ

123INDIA.COM

Cricket365

thatscricket

India seems to be favorite for the second match, but New Zealand can come out stronger in the second match. In fact, both sides have some match winner who can steal the show single-handedly for their side. So, you can expect an exciting match between India and New Zealand tomorrow.

India vs New Zealand 1st ODI 2009: Preview and Live Score

(This entry was originally published on Monday, March 2nd, 2009)

India is going to face host New Zealand in the first of the five-match ODI series starting from Tuesday (3 March 2009). The day-night match takes place at the McLean Park, Napier which offers a batting friendly wicket. After the clean sweep in Twenty20 series, New Zealand will go into the match full of confidence, while Indian team will look to get their momentum back. Though Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni does not think that Indian team has lost confidence through the two back-to-back defeats in Twenty20 series, it is pretty much clear that Indian team is not as confident as they were after 4-1 ODI series win over Sri Lanka in their recent ODI series. However, India’s success in ODI format throughout 2008 would not make New Zealand take India lightly.

Match: New Zealand vs India 2009

Date: 3 march 2009

Venue: McLean Park, Napier, New Zealand

Time: 14:00 local time (01:00 GMT)

India won the CB Series in Australia last year, winning the bet of three final convincingly. Though they failed to win the Asia Cup, being defeated by Sri Lanka in the final, India clinched the ODI series in Sri Lanka last year. After that, Indian team demolished England at home, winning all of the five ODI matches held. Then came recent ODI series victory in Sri Lanka. So, there is no doubt, Indian is now one of the most successful ODI team in world cricket at this moment.

India has a number of things to worry about ahead of the first ODI against New Zealand. First of all, in-form opening pair, Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir, who were instrumental behind India’s scintillating ODI performances over the last one year, failed to play big score in two Twenty20 matches. Herein lies another worry for India. India’s highly successful opening pair did not let Indian middle order take much pressure throughout last year, but the failures of Sehwag and Gambhir in the Twenty20 series in New Zealand exposed the strength of Indian middle order that failed to carry on the momentum in both the matches. The good news for Indian team is that Sachin Tendulkar returns with the first ODI against New Zealand- meaning he would pair up with Virender Sehwag in the opening slot and Gambhir would come to bat at no. 3.

In the presence of the likes of Yuvraj Singh and Dhoni, and youngsters like Suresh Raina and Rohit Sharma, Indian middle order looks pretty much balanced, but they failed to show their depth in Twenty20 matches. India’s lower order looks very strong too with the presence of two all rounders Yusuf Pathan and Irfan Pathan. Harbhajan Singh and Zaheer Khan are also capable of chipping in some runs on the board in the slog overs. Overall, India’s middle order looks pretty strong and balanced.

New Zealand’s top order is not as much experienced as India’s top order, but the Kiwis have four in-form batsmen in their top order: Jesse Ryder, Brendon McCullum, who played two back-to-back half centuries in Twenty20 series, Martin Guptill and Ross Taylor. Jacob Oram at no. 5 makes their batting line up only stronger. Pace all rounder Grant Elliott is expected to play in the first ODI, and his inclusion would bring a balance in New Zealand squad. Captain Vettori can also chip in with bat.

New Zealand pacer Kyle Mills, who tested Australian batsmen in their recent tour, returns after recovering from injury and instantly makes it to the first eleven. That means, New Zealand would have to choose two from three pacers- Ian Bulter, Tim Southee and Iain O’Brien for the first match. New Zealand has more bowling option in Elliott and most importantly, Jesse Ryder. To be honest, I was really impressed with the medium pace of Jesse Ryder. In fact, his very economical spell in the middle of the innings made the difference in the two Twenty20 matches. At last, it is their Captain Daniel Vettori who troubled the Indian batsmen a lot in the Twenty20 series and the Kiwis would expect the same kind of dominance from the left arm spinner in the ODI series too.

For India, there is bad news. The visiting side would perhaps miss the service of Ishant Sharma who picked up a shoulder injury during the second Twenty20 match and he has been ruled out of the first ODI with Indian team having no intention of playing Ishant if he is not 100 percent fit. In his absence, either Munaf Patel or Praveen Kumar will be included in the squad for the first one-day international. Irfan Pathan will be the third pacer in the line up. Harbhajan Singh will be there to lead India’s spin attack with Yusuf Pathan’s leg spin would bring variation in their bowling line up. One thing I could not understand is that why Dhoni did not use Virender Sehwag’s handy off spin in the Twenty20 series. Sehwag has already proved his skill as a bowler who can bring up breakthroughs.

Online Live Score and Updates

Here, I am giving some live score and updates websites from where you can get the live score and updates of the match:

Cricinfo

Sify sports

action8cricket

cricketnext

Headlinesindia.com

CRICBUZZ

123INDIA.COM

Cricket365

Thatscricket

Both India and New Zealand have a number of match winning players and a lot would depend on the performance of those key players. Well, I think, both sides have equal chance to in the match and I would not pick up any favorite for the match. Rather, I would like to see some good cricket from both sides with some exciting performances from the likes of Sehwag, Yuvraj, Oram, Vettori and others.

India vs New Zealand 2nd Twenty20 2009: Preview & Live Score

(This entry was originally posted on Thursday, February 26th, 2009)

This is the match that has created perhaps the highest amount of interest and passion among Indian fans home and abroad. It has become a very important match for Indian supporters because before the start of the New Zealand tour, all the supporters and reporters were too much confident and they felt that New Zealand would not be a worthy opponent. They had these kinds of feeling because in the last few months, team India has destroyed Australia, England and Sri Lanka. Well, their intense confidence has received a major shock in the first Twenty20 match against New Zealand yesterday. Tomorrow is 27 February 2009 and India is going to play second Twenty20 match against New Zealand in Wellington.

Match: New Zealand vs India, Second Twenty20

Date: 27 February 2009

Venue: Westpac Stadium, Wellington

Time: Local 19.00 (06.00 GMT)

I do not perhaps need to remind you that New Zealand won the first Twenty20 match by 7 wickets. Indian batsmen started off well in the first match, but they lost wickets pretty regularly and if Suresh Raina did not keep his wicket until last moment, Dhoni boys would not have crossed the 150 mark. Batsmen were little impatient while batting on the wicket which was really bating friendly. Another thing is that many times, Indian batsmen were defeated on the low bounce, as New Zealand pacers brought variety in their deliveries. Spinner Vettori was another problem for the visiting team and I was really surprised to see Indian batsmen struggling against a spinner in New Zealand condition which is idle for pacers. My surprise extended when I saw Harbhajan Singh doing similar job during New Zealand innings.

Despite excellent bowling from Harbhajan Singh, India could not put pressure on the home side and New Zealand easily reached the target with 7 balls in hand. Irfan Pathan failed to show his bowling skill that he displayed during India’s triumph in Twetyn20 World Championship in 2007. Reports out in the media suggest that Dhoni might include his favorite Twenty20 specialist Praveen Kumar in the squad for the second Twenty20 international. Another important thing is that Indian team now must show enough resistance against New Zealand pacers as well as spinner Vettori who was highly successful in the first match. Indian pace duo Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma played a big role behind term India’s successes over the last few series, specially against Australia and England at home. So, if India wants to save the Twent20 series, Zaheer and Ishant must show something special. Another pair who was instrumental behind India’s success over the last six months is their opening pair Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag. India now expects another match winning opening stand from the two in-form openers. Sehwag’s fiery start was really awesome, but as I mentioned earlier that, India batsmen were little impatient in the first match. So, the in-form players like Sehwag, Gambhir, Yuvraj and Captain Dhoni must take responsibility, if India is to level the series, winning the second Twenty20 international.

New Zealand, as expectedly, is very much confident after their easy victory in the first match. They dominated over the visiting side in all three departments. Their bowlers were tricky and could successfully get the best out of the wicket. Captain Vettori led from the front with their left arm spin. Their batsmen played accordingly, especially McCullum, Guptill and Oram, who made a strong come back in the first match. Overall, I do not think that Vettori has anything to worry about, except one thing. Vettori knows it very well that this Indian squad has been in winning ways over the last six months and they have some excellent bunch of players who have been in excellent form of recent. So, they can bounce back strongly in the second match and that could be a disaster for the home side.

Well, there is another point that should be taken into consideration here. India defeated Australia and England at home pretty comfortably and demolished Sri Lankan team in their own soil. However, they did not have to face a condition like New Zealand over the last six months. Even in Sri Lanka, they got a home-like condition where they did not have to struggle to adapt to the condition. However, now in New Zealand, Indian team, consisting of a number of young players who did never tour New Zealand earlier, is facing a strong challenge from the condition where they faced tough challenge during their previous tour in the country. India was severely defeated in both test and ODI series during their last tour of New Zealand when they had players like Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble who were all experienced, but this time, Indian team has inexperienced players like Suresh Raina, Gambhir, Rohit Sharma, Pathan brothers and many more. In fact, Captain Dhoni did not have prior experience of facing New Zealand in their previous tour to New Zealand. So, this is an important thing to point out.

Well, New Zealand team has the advantage of the home condition, but they also have an inexperienced side and they are not anywhere close the team they were couple of years back. New Zealand lost a number of key players like former captain Stephen Fleming, Chris Harris, Nathan Astle and players like Shane Bond who are banned from international cricket due to their contracts with rebel Indian Cricket League (ICL). So, New Zealand has also lost their strength in the last few years. Even New Zealand’s performance in 2008 was not impressive at all, though they showed some excellent performances in Australia in their recent ODI series. However, as they are playing at home, New Zealand must enjoy the home advantage, specially against a sub-continental team like India who have never been comfortable in the seaming condition like that of New Zealand.

Online Live Score and Updates

Here, I am giving some websites from where you can get the live score and updates of the match:

Cricinfo

Sify sports

action8cricket

cricketnext

Headlinesindia.com

CRICBUZZ

123INDIA.COM

Cricket365

thatscricket

I just expect that cricket fans would be bale to see a close match, no matter who wins. The first Twenty20 was not as exciting as it was expected, considering New Zealand’s home advantage and India’s recent form. I hope that the second match would not like the first one and would be full of excitement. I am not going to pick up a favorite because it is a Twenty20 match where even a single over can change the whole match and uncertainty exists in every layer of this shortest version of the game. What I am looking for is nothing but pure excitement and good cricket from both sides.

India vs New Zealand 2009 Live on Different TV Channels

(This entry was originally posted on Monday, February 23rd, 2009)

Indian cricket team is now in New Zealand on a full-fledged cricket tour during which India and New Zealand play 2 Twenty20 matches, 5 ODI matches and 3 test matches against each other. Ahead of the much-awaited tour, which begins on 25 February with the first Twenty20 international going underway, cricket fans of both countries are now excitedly waiting to see some bone chilling matches between the two elite nations world cricket. Dhoni-led India is full of confident on the back of some dominating performance over the last six months, while Daniel Vettori’s New Zealand is looking to get the best out of home condition against visiting Indian team.

India’s record on New Zealand soil has never been impressive over the last few decades. Last time India toured New Zealand in 2002-03 season, India lost the two-match test series by 2-0 without scoring 200 runs in any of their four innings in the test series, which was followed by a humiliating 4-1 defeat in ODI series at the hands of the host side. Even the previous of 1998-99 was not impressive anyhow as India lost the three-match test series 1-0, but could able to draw the five-match ODI series 2-2 with a match being abandoned by rain.

Well, the positive side of the current Indian team is that they have been in winning ways over the last few months and defeated mighty Australia in test series convincingly at home, followed by another highly successful home series at home. Recently, India demolished Sri Lanka 4-1 in the ODI series on Sri Lankan soil. Some of their key players like Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, Zaheer Khan, Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Ishant Sharma are currently playing at the top of their form and India is now hoping to gain the no. 1 spot in ICC ranking both in test and ODI form of cricket.

New Zealand, on the other hand, is not very much close to their best form at this moment, even though their recent performance against arch rival Australia is pretty much satisfactory. New Zealand cricket is yet to come to terms with the retirements of some key players like former Captain Stephen Fleming, Nathan Astle, Chris Harris, Chris Cairns, and they are currently missing the star players like Shane Bond who are playing for Indian Cricket League (ICL).

So, you do not need to be an cricket expert to understand the fact that the current New Zealand team is not anywhere close to a team they were 2-3 years ago. New Zealand’s performance in 2008 was not something impressive too. Having said that, they showed considerable sign of prospect in their recent tour of Australia. In fact, some of the young players like Tim Southee, Martin Guptill, who got century in his ODI debut against West Indies in January, Ross Taylor and Peter Fulton showed glimpses of their talent in Australia. Still, in terms of squad strength, I would keep India ahead of New Zealand for the seemingly exciting cricket series coming up next.

Well, New Zealand will also have some advantage over Indian team. First of all, the home condition will definitely favor the Kiwis and they are expected to get the most out of this advantage if they are to continue their dominance over Indian team at home. Another thing is that most of the current members of Indian squad have no prior experience of playing in New Zealand. So, adapting to the cold weather and seaming condition of New Zealand may not be very easy for the Indian young players. This could be a factor for the series. However, Indian players can feel themselves lucky considering the fact that winter is just going over in India at this moment and this would help the players to adapt to the New Zealand condition better; but if India did have to tour New Zealand in May or June, they could have faced a more intense situation. Overall, you can see that both teams have their strong and weak sides to reckon ahead of the series and herein lies the indication of some exciting moments of cricket in the upcoming series.

I know many cricket fans are now desperate to know which television channel will telecast the New Zealand vs India cricket series 2009 live in different parts of the world. Here, I am giving you a list of television channels where you can get to enjoy live action of the cricket series between India and New Zealand:

Sony Entertainment Television in India

Sony Entertainment Television holds the official telecast right of the series. In fact, Sony has secured the TV rights of New Zealand Cricket (NZC) for a whopping $US50 million, and thus, Sony will telecast the series live for Indian cricket fans in any of its channels like Sony Entertainment TV, SAB TV or Set MAX. So, Sony is one of the most popular private television channels with millions of audience across the country. Moreover, Sony has previous experience of covering elite cricket events like ICC World Cup. So, you can expect world class coverage for India’s tour of New Zealand 2009 on Sony television channel.

Doordarsan in India

Doordarsan is the government-owned terrestrial channel in India. As per the law of Prasar Bharati (Broadcasting Corporation of India), Doordarsan (DD) has the right of receiving live feed of all the cricket matches involving India from any television broadcaster. So, Doordarsan is expected to show the live action of the series, specially Twenty20 and ODI matches on its DD Sports television channel for the Indian cricket fans. However, nothing has been confirmed yet about Doordarsan’s coverage of New Zealand-India cricket series 2009.

Sky Sports Television Channel in United Kingdom, Ireland, Scotland and Other European Countries

If you are currently in Europe and do not want give a miss to any of the matches of the series between India and New Zealand, then the channel you should look out for is Sky Sports TV channel who holds the official broadcast rights of the series in United Kingdom, Scotland, Ireland and other European countries. So, European cricket fans can watch the matches live on Sky Sports television channel.

Super Sports TV Channel in South Africa, Zimbabwe, Kenya and Rest of Africa

Super Sports has secured the TV rights of India-New Zealand cricket series 2009 in African region including the cricket playing countries like South Africa, Zimbabwe, Kenya etc. The matches will be telecast live in different channels of Super Sports including Super Sports 2, Super Sports5, Super Sports 6 etc.

Fox Sports TV Channel in Australia

Australian cricket fans can watch the exciting matches between India and New Zealand live on Fox Sports television channel which is one of the most popular television channels in the country. So, Australian fans are expecting good quality coverage of the series from Fox Sports television channel.

Sony SET MAX in New Zealand

MAX television channel is one of the TV channels of Sony Pictures Television International (SPTI). Though it mainly well-known for movies, it sometimes broadcast special events like ICC Cricket World Cup. The same way, Sony SET MAX is going to provide New Zealand cricket fans with live coverage Twenty20, ODI and Test series between New Zealand and India.

DIRECTV in U.S.A and Canada

DIRECTV holds the television rights of India’s tour of New Zealand 2009 in U.S.A and Canada. Considering DIRECTV’s relationship with CBN Canada, it is expected that the matches could be telecast live on CBN Canada television channel. DIRECTV has also secured the telecast rights of IPL, ICC Champions Trophy, Twenty20 World Championship etc.

Arab Digital Distribution (ADD)’s Pehla & Firstnet Platform in Middle East and North Africa

Middle East and North African cricket fans can watch the India-New Zealand cricket matches live on the Pehla & Firstnet Platforms of Arab Digital Distribution (ADD). ADD is, in fact, the largest pay TV platform in the region. The exciting matches of the series will be telecast live on Pehla Gold, Pehla Silver & Firstnet Premium platforms.

Schedule of India vs New Zealand 2009 Series

(This entry was originally posted on Thursday, February 19th, 2009)

Following a successful tour of Sri Lanka, Indian cricket team is heading towards New Zealand for a full-fledged tour starting from 25 February. There will be 3 test, 5 ODI and 2 Twenty20 matches in the series. India will be full of confident to take on host New Zealand on the back of their excellent performance in the recent past. Since losing the Asia Cup final at the hands of Sri Lanka, India defeated Australia and England at home before pulling off a 4-1 ODI series victory in Sri Lanka recently. New Zealand also seems to be in good condition after their domination over world champion Australia in the recent ODI series held in Australia. Though the series ended up 2-2, New Zealand was considerably the better side in the series and they were unfortunate to not be able to retain the Chappell- Hadlee series. So, cricket fans of both sides are expecting an exciting series.

Stretching back to India’s last tour of New Zealand, I must say that Indian team struggled against the home side both in the test and ODI series. India even failed to show a little bit of resistance against the home side. As far as I can remember, most of the matches were low scoring. Star-studded Indian batting line up totally failed to live up to the expectation as New Zealand pacers utilized every bit offered by the pitch and condition. New Zealand wickets are always helpful to the pacers and offer lots of swing and movement.

Well, you might claim that Indian team is currently in good shape and has been winning matches consistently over the last few months. Yes, I agree with you and would like to put some optimism for Team India to do well in the upcoming New Zealand. Having said that, most of the current members of Indian cricket team have no previous experience of playing in New Zealand and are not acquainted with the New Zealand condition. For example, among the current Indian pacers, only Zaheer Khan played in their last tour to New Zealand. I think, this inexperience could definitely be decisive in the upcoming series.

For New Zealand, they always have an edge over the sub-continental teams whenever they face them at home. New Zealand always uses their home advantage to the fullest to outperform the visiting teams from sub-continent. Last time, they took on a sub-continental team at home was Bangladesh who totally failed to show any bit of resistance throughout the tour. Well, I know New Zealand’s domination over Bangladesh does not indicate anything significant considering the fact that Bangladesh is not a cricket power in world cricket. However, indicating Bangladesh’s tour, I want to show that New Zealand team, who were already depleted in the absence of some key players like Shane Bond, could successfully capitalized on the home condition and utilized everything offered by the wickets. This is something would be very crucial for New Zealand pacers in the upcoming series too if they want to continue their dominance over visiting teams from South Asia. There is no doubt that the current New Zealand team is nowhere close to the team they had even 2-3 years back, as they lost a number of key players like Shane Bond, Nathan Astle, Stephen Fleming, Chris Harris, Chris Cairns over the last couple of years. Still, they have a balanced squad that played excellently well in Australia.

Indian pacers especially Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma have built up a fearsome new-ball attack in the recent months. Both of them played a significant role behind India’s recent successes, while their opening pair comprising of Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir has been showing considerable success with sheer consistency since last year’s tour of Sri Lanka. In the middle order, Yuvraj Singh will have a big role to play both in the test and ODI series, and there will be huge expectation among the Indian fans from the left hander, given his recent form as evidence. Captain Dhoni has been in excellent form too and has already become a reliable batsman in the middle order. Players like Sachin, Sehwag and Laxman have huge experience with them and are expected to help the young members in the squad.

Overall, considering the recent performances of the two sides, I think, the upcoming series will have some closely-fight matches and neither side would find it too easy to break the opposition. Here, I am giving the schedule of India’s tour of New Zealand from Cricinfo:

Date	Match	Competitive Teams	Time	Venue
25 Feb 2009 Wed (D/N)	1st T20	New Zealand vs India	Local 19:00 GMT 06:00	AMI Stadium, Christchurch
27 Feb 2009 Fri (D/N)	2nd T20	New Zealand vs India	Local 19:00 GMT 06:00	Westpac Stadium, Wellington
3 March 2009 Tue (D/N)	1st ODI	New Zealand vs India	Local 14:00 GMT 01:00	McLean Park, Napier
6 March 2009 Fri (D/N)	2nd ODI	New Zealand vs India	Local 14:00 GMT 01:00	Westpac Stadium, Wellington
8 March 2009 Sun (D/N)	3rd ODI	New Zealand vs India	Local 14:00 GMT 01:00	AMI Stadium, Christchurch
11 March 2009 Wed (D/N)	4th ODI	New Zealand vs India	Local 14:00 GMT 01:00	Seddon Park, Hamilton
14 March 2009 Sat (D/N)	5th ODI	New Zealand vs India	Local 14:00 GMT 01:00	Eden Park, Auckland
18-22 March 2009 Wed-Sun	1st Test	New Zealand vs India	Local 11:00 GMT 22:00	Seddon Park, Hamilton
26-30 March 2009 Thu-Mon	2nd Test	New Zealand vs India	Local 10:30 GMT 21:30	McLean Park, Napier
3-7 April 2009 Fri-Tue	3rd Test	New Zealand vs India	Local 10:30 GMT 21:30	Basin Reserve, Wellington