JOIN USIndia buoyed by Z factor
Considering India’s resources in the first two matches, New Zealand were expected to pose the hosts a stiff challenge, but so far, they haven’t even come close to that. It’s not that the Kiwis are playing to their full strength either.
While they have certainly failed to match India in the skills department – except in fielding, of course -- injuries to key players Daryl Tuffey, out of the series, and one of their batting mainstays, Brendon McCullum, have further thinned their already depleted side.
Their biggest concern has been McCullum’s non-availability. Suffering from back spasms, the feisty batsman would have provided them with multiple options. Besides opening the innings, he would have also kept wickets, enabling New Zealand to pick an extra batsman or an all-rounder in James Franklin.
In his absence, stumper Gareth Hopkins not only has failed to lend solidity to the batting, but he has also denied the side the chance of playing with seven specialist batsmen. That McCullum went through training, batting and keeping without any discomfort, should have come as great relief to Vettori.
New Zealand are in a must-win situation if they are to keep the series alive going into Tuesday’s match in Bangalore, but their task might have just become a tad difficult with fresh reinforcements to the home side, the biggest being the return of a fit-again Zaheer Khan.
The left-arm paceman missed the final Test in Nagpur and the first two one-dayers due to a groin injury and contrary to expectations that he would be in the early batch to South Africa, has been named in the squad for the remaining three one-dayers. India have also included Praveen Kumar, who will form a potent new-ball combine with Ashish Nehra.
S Sreesanth, who bagged seven wickets in two matches, has been rested keeping in mind the South African sojourn, as is Suresh Raina. The left-hander’s exit means Saurabh Tiwary will walk into the 11. With Munaf Patel unlikely to be left out, R Vinay Kumar will be back to lead his State side in the next home match against Baroda as the Karnataka paceman doesn’t figure in the squad for the last two ODIs.
The hosts’ batting has been as impressive as their bowling, if not better. The batsmen did lose their way in the final 10 overs of the first tie but more than made up in the second with a comprehensive eight-wicket drubbing. Virat Kohli and Gambhir, centurions in the first two matches, have so far made it a Delhi batting show, gathering more than 60 percent of India’s runs. The likes of Yuvraj Singh and M Vijay will be itching to join the party.
Much as Gambhir may claim that this series isn’t about getting the combination right before the World Cup, the selectors have dropped enough hints by the way they have picked certain players. None stands out in this regard more than Yusuf Pathan, who is likely to feature in all five games. His robust run-scoring ways will tempt anyone to have him in the side, especially on Indian pitches, but if IPL III was anything to go by, then he can can be exposed even on flat pitches. He is no magician with the ball either, so just what the five wise men are looking at is hard to fathom.
Teams (from):
India: Gautam Gambhir (capt), Murali Vijay, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Saurabh Tiwary, Yusuf Pathan, Wriddhiman Saha, R Ashwin, Zaheer Khan, Praveen Kumar, Ashish Nehra, Munaf Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, R Vinay Kumar.
New Zealand: Daniel Vettori (capt), Jamie How, Brendon McCullum, Martin Guptill, Ross Taylor, Scott Styris, Kane Williamson, Grant Elliot, Gareth Hopkins, Nathan McCullum, Kyle Mills, Andy McKay, Tim Southee and James Franklin.
Umpires: Richard Kettleborough (England) and Shahvir Tarapore. Third umpire: Sanjay Hazare. Match referee: Roshan Mahanama (Sri Lanka).