India humiliated by Kiwis in warm-up game

The Black Caps first ran up a total of 301 for nine and then shot the Indians out for 198 last night to claim a morale-boosting win ahead of the eight-nation tournament starting on Tuesday.

India's bowling was pathetic at best as runs leaked from everyone except leg-spinner Amit Mishra, who returned figures of one for 29, and Yusuf Pathan (3/46). In batting, only Rahul Dravid (37) was engaging while the rest failed to impress.

Indians, ironically, didn't start the chase badly under lights as 58 runs accrued from the openers. Dravid, in particular, looked in scintillating touch, hammering Shane Bond for four fours in one over, all distinct and different from each other.

Dravid first hooked and then drove Bond imperiously through the covers. He then dabbed a delivery to third man fence and delicately glanced past fine leg boundary.

But once the experienced batsman departed, playing all over a brilliant delivery from off-spinner Jeetan Patel, Indians showed little stomach for fight. Suresh Raina (31) delighted for a while but once he was run-out, Indians folded up quickly.

New Zealand showed they meant business and the four frontline bowlers were kept in hunt till the back of Indian batting was broken. With a score of 130 for 7 on the board, the writing was clearly on the wall for the Indians.

Earlier, the Kiwis finally seemed to have something to crow about their troublesome top order as meaty partnerships came up to bring on a total of 301 for 9.

Jesse Ryder (57), Martin Guptill (63) and Neil Broom (66) were at the forefront of New Zealand's frontal assault on Indian bowling. Ryder, the left-handed opener, spanked new-ball bowler Praveen Kumar, picking up six of the eight fours hit against the right-arm swing bowler.

Ryder also smacked Ishant Sharma for a massive six as he clobbered 57 runs from 48 balls with 10 fours and a six. Ryder got good support from the other end as Brendon McCullum (15 off 17 balls) and Guptill (63 off 79 balls) also lay about smashing the bowling, bringing up New Zealand's 150 in the 28th over.

India's spin duo of Mishra and Yousuf applied brakes in the middle overs but so poor were the others that it hardly arrested the Kiwis' momentum. Broom provided a bigger thrust in the closing overs, hitting 66 from 46 balls with five fours and four sixes. The 25-year-old put Indians on the mat with his whistling innings.

In RP Singh's eighth over, the penultimate over of the innings, he clobbered 25 runs including three sixes and a four.