No starting trouble for second XI

Virats hundred ensures that Gambhir enjoys success in his first match as skipper.

In the first ball of the 46th over of the New Zealand innings,Nathan McCullum tried to clear the boundary over the cover region. The New Zealand bits-and-pieces player,always a dangerous opponent in the shorter versions of the game,was looking to add to the 67-run partnership he had stitched together with Kyle Mills.

At that point New Zealand needed 41 off 29 with two wickets in hand. Gautam Gambhir,the stand-in skipper ran from cover and dived forward to pull off a remarkable catch and end McCullums charge. His acrobatic effort settled the issue in Indias favour the margin of victory being 40 in the first of the five one-day internationals of this series. In the absence of key players,rested to allow them to recover from niggles,ahead of the South Africa series,half the Indian side was made up of reserve players.

The McCullum-Mills partnership was giving the hosts a few nervous moments.

The match was set-up in Indias favour when Virat Kohli became the sixth Indian to score back-to-back centuries. It was the Delhi batsmans fourth one-day international century overall and helped him further establish himself as a regular in this ODI side.

India lost their last six wickets for just 26 runs but their total of 276 was 19 more than what was the highest run-chase earlier at this venue.

The bowlers ensured that New Zealand were never really in the chase. Medium-pacer S Sreesanth,part-time spinner Yuvraj Singh and off-break bowler Ravichandran Ashwin picked up three wickets each and India made two breakthroughs before the tenth over of the New Zealand innings.

Ashwin to the fore

The hosts were assured of victory midway into the New Zealand innings when stand-in captain Ross Taylor,who was the top-scorer with 66,was deceived by Ashwins carrom ball. Kohlis good form apart,it was the maturity of mind and control over his art that Ashwin displayed in the game which was a big positive for India.

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Ashwin,no slouch with the bat,is one of the players who can fit into the all-rounders slot at No.7,one which Ravindra Jadeja has been occupying for a while. Ashwin mixed his big off breaks with carrom balls and has shown the heart and the ability to bowl without being thrashed around during the Powerplay overs.

If the second-half of the day belonged to the Indian bowlers,the first was all about Kohli. The aggressive right-hander didnt have to take too many risks as he settled down well. He used his wrists,power and found the gaps with ease.

His percentage of runs in boundaries was lesser than that of Yuvraj Singh,Gautam Gambhir or Murali Vijay but he looked at ease at the wicket on way to making his century. His 105 came off 104 balls but on this wicket at the Nehru Stadium,which has,in the past,not been easy to bat on,especially in the first half,Kohlis effort was much appreciated.

The others in the Indian batting line-up also got starts. Gambhir 38 and Murali Vijay 29 had a 44-run opening stand but paid for their poor shot selection. Vijays wild slog and Gambhirs decision to chase a wide ball led to their downfalls.

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Yuvraj made 42 off 64 balls and added 88 for the third wicket with Kohli. Though,he picked up three wickets he would rue missing out on a much bigger score. India too seemed to be heading for a much bigger total before they lost their way in the final Powerplay overs.

Credit for this must be given to McKay who used the bouncer effectively. He also was able to move the ball away from around the wicket. But save for McKays bowling at the death and and Taylors half-century there wasnt much for New Zealand to cheer about on Sunday.