Published: Feb 03, 2019, 10:59 AM (IST)
Edited: Feb 03, 2019, 10:59 AM (IST)
For the second game in row, India‘s batting came undone against some accurate and feisty New Zealand pace bowling, but the difference at Wellington’s Westpac Stadium was that two pair of batsmen showed some spine. Vijay Shankar, batting for the first time in four career ODIs, laid the spadework for a fightback which was pushed into the next gear by Ambati Rayudu whose 90 helped push the total to 190, which morphed into 252 thanks to Hardik Pandya.
The awkward nature of the pitch, which saw many deliveries stop on the batsmen and some rear up from odd spots, had Rayudu uneasy for the first half of his gritty innings but he overcame the odds to produce a very fine 90 from 113 balls. His departure was followed by Kedar Jadhav’s, but Pandya smacked 45 from 22 to help India get 43 from overs 47 to 49. (LIVE UPDATES: INDIA vs NEW ZEALAND, 5th ODI)
Rohit Sharma, after opting to bat on a surface he hoped India could pile up a big total, was the first wicket to fall in the fifth over when he played at a ball from Matt Henry that left him and hit off stump. Shikhar Dhawan was next, leaping and upper-cutting Trent Boult to Henry at third man. One punch past the stumps for four aside, Shubman Gill continued to look out of depth at this level, repeatedly fidgety and unsure of how forward to play. He got as far as seven before pushing hesitantly at Henry for Mitchell Santner at cover to hold an easy catch. At 17/3, there was a strong sense of déjà vu about the innings.
When MS Dhoni – back in the side after missing to games – was bowled for Boult for one, a scoreline of 18/4 represented another awful start.
That India did not collapse in a heap owed to some smart batting from Shankar, in particular, and Rayudu. In his first innings for India, Shankar was refreshingly positive with his footwork, game awareness and pace. His second ball was caressed past midwicket for four and though he had some close moments, his ability to stay calm for the duration of his 64-ball innings that yielded 45. (FULL SCORECARD: INDIA vs NEW ZEALAND, 5th ODI)
After the speed and hostility of Henry and Boult, the gentler seam of Jimmy Neesham and Colin de Grandhomme kept a lid on runs as Shankar and Rayudu were forced to reset the innings. Six overs separate Shankar’s first and second fours, as Neesham and de Grandhomme mixed cutters and the odd effort ball to tie down the batsmen. Shankar stood tall to punch either side of the pitch and the short-ball offerings did not have him in as much bother as they did Rayudu.
Shankar once moved out to de Grandhomme and ended up wearing a short ball on his helmet, the result being four runs despite replays not showing bat or glove.
Rayudu battled to combat the seamers and the surface. A lifter from Henry had him hopping early on, and there were other close calls when deliveries sprang up. Twice Neesham had Rayudu standing tall to fend off short balls, one of which pulled just over square leg for four. A charge from Rayudu with a slog at de Grandhomme resulted in a spiralling mis-hit, but the ball landed in front of the sight screen for six. A second six followed as Rayudu connected sweetly on a pull of Colin Munro.
Moments after he delicately dabbed Mitchell Santner for four, Shankar was run out when Rayudu was late to reply to call. That terrible mix-up sparked the aggressor in Rayudu, who collected successive fours off de Grandhomme to secure his half-century in 86 balls, and then laid into Munro with two massive legside sixes.
While Kedar Jadhav tucked and nudged to keep Rayudu on strike, a partnership of 74 flourished.
Henry, after seven overs for 11 runs, returned and was cracked for three fours by Rayudu to drop his head. The mood was lifted, however, when an attempted loft over mid-off settled in deep cover’s palms. A fourth came Henry’s way when Jadhav (34) was bowled when totally flummoxed by a crafty slower ball. Henry ended with 4/35 from his ten overs.
Pandya clouted three consecutive sixes off Todd Astle and then pulled Boult with ferocity for another. An eventful 49th over ensued, bowled by Neesham.
The first ball was driven with ease through the covers for four, the second biffed over wide long-on for six. The third was a slower bouncer that looked high but was not called wide by the square leg umpire, which prompted Pandya to walk over to ask why. The next ball was full and jammed wide of midwicket, with Pandya shouting two immediately. As he reached the nonstriker’s end, Pandya lost grip of his bat and after he ran back for the second without it, the New Zealanders appealed. Replays showed that he didn’t have control of his bat when he put his foot across the line as he turned, and after consultation the umpires deemed one short run.
Pandya was miffed, and replied by jamming a yorker on off stump past a diving short third man for four.
The sixth ball was a low full toss which Pandya miscued when attempting a slog, and Boult ran backwards and held a terrific catch from square leg. Pandya hung around in anticipation of replays showing a no-ball for height, but it was not to be. Boult ended the innings with the wickets of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammed Shami
Brief scores: India 252 in 49.5 overs (Rayudu 90, Pandya 45, Shankar 45, Henry 4/35) vs New Zealand
