Same script, different culprits

India continued their exasperating sequence of flops in the finals as New Zealand rode on Nathan Astle8217;s scintillating century to clinc...

India continued their exasperating sequence of flops in the finals as New Zealand rode on Nathan Astle8217;s scintillating century to clinch the Videocon Cup with a comfortable six-wicket victory here today.

Astle cracked an unbeaten 115 to help his team overhaul the target of 277 and leave the Indians licking the wounds of yet another embarassing defeat in a summit showdown.

New Zealand clawed back from a horrendous start to restrict India to 276 runs. India had been off to a rollicking start and were 155-1 in the 25th over before losing the plot and raising only further runs from the second half of their innings.

Virender Sehwag 75 and Sourav Ganguly 31 had put on 72 from a mere 13-odd overs and Mohammad Kaif 93 not out only carried the good work which suggested a 300-plus total before some soft dismissals set India back greatly.

Daniel Vettori was the chief tormentor for the Indians as he conceded a mere 35 runs from his 10 overs and picked up two vital wickets in a space of three deliveries.

Scoreboard

India: V Sehwag c Vincent b Vettori 75; S Ganguly c Marshall b Oram 31; M Kaif not out 93; R Dravid lbw Vettori 0; Yuvraj Singh c Bond b Mills 20; Venugopal Rao c McMillan b Oram 8; M Dhoni lbw Styris 11; J P Yadav c McCullum b Oram 0; Agarkar c Mills b Bond 6; Pathan c Vincent b Oram 10; Nehra c Oram b Mills 0; Extras lb 5, w 13, nb 4: 22; Total all out, 49.3 overs: 276 Fall of wickets: 1-72, 2-155, 3-155, 4-185, 5-203, 6-230, 7-231, 8-255, 9-272, Bowling: Bond 9.3-0-44-1, Mills 9.3-3-45-2, Oram 8.3-0-58-4, Styris 8-0-56-1, Vettori 10-0-35-2, Astle 4-0-33-0.

New Zealand: S Fleming c 038; b Sehwag 61 ;N Astle not out 115 ; H Marshall lbw b Sehwag 3; S Styris st Dhoni b Sehwag 37 ; C McMillan c Dhoni b Yuvraj Singh 13; L Vincent not out 33 ; Extras lb 9, w 6, nb 1 16; Total 4 wickets, 48.1 overs, 188 mins: 278 Fall of wickets: 1-121, 2-125, 3-183, 4-206. Bowling: Pathan 5-1-40-0, Nehra 6-0-40-0, Agarkar 6.1-0-43-0, Harbhajan Singh 10-0-49-0, Sehwag-10-0-44-3, Yadav-1-0-14-0, Yuvraj Singh-10-1-39-1