Saurav changes script to win

Yet, as Anshuman Gaekwad said, it was a sign of his 8216;8216;confidence and his conviction8217;8217;, knowing full well he would have to carry the cross if it backfired.

Three balls later, New Zealand were two wickets down with no runs on the board as Zaheer became the third of India8217;s pace trio to strike gold this tournament.

That was the cue for India8217;s fast men to go for the throat and it was only after 21 overs that the skipper turned to spin. By then, the damage had been done: New Zealand were reeling at 75 for five.

If anything brought the Indians as much pleasure as the falling wickets, it was probably the knowledge that they were falling to a plan. Zaheer had been instructed to bowl fast and buy wickets; Srinath8217;s role was to contain. Zaheer picked up four wickets for 42 equalling his best-ever haul; Srinath bowled 8 overs for 20 runs.

And Nehra? His figures 8212; 10-3-24-1 8212; speak for themselves.

The timing of the wickets points to his crucial interventions, tossing the ball to bowlers whom he thought could break partnerships. So Zaheer got wickets at the start of first two spells, Nehra got his wicket with the first ball of his second over.

Harbhajan, the first spinner used, got the wickets of Chris Cairns and Daniel Vettori. And as if that was not enough Virender Sehwag got one breakthrough, as did Dinesh Mongia 8212; the latter with his only ball of the match.

After the match, the skipper sought to credit luck and his bowlers. 8216;8216;For a captain to succeed luck is vital; one can tell a bowler how to bowl but finally the ball is in his hands and only he can get the wickets.8217;8217;

Not lucky, says Gaekwad. 8216;8216;One cannot dismiss his instinctive decisions by calling them plain lucky. He had a plan for every batsmen and these things worked.8217;8217;

If at all there was a cloud to this silver lining, it was the fact that the Kiwis8217; innings could have been wrapped up much earlier had India fielded a fifth bowler 8212; or a fourth seamer. Ganguly was forced to bowl himself, Sehwag and Mongia in addition to Harbhajan, and allowed the Kiwis to meander their way to 146.

It8217;s a point which Fanie de Villiers, the former South Africa pacer, agrees with. 8216;8216;When India has such a talented bunch of pacers and they are doing so well why do they hesitate to go in for four pacers?8217;8217;

The fourth pace bowler isn8217;t hard to find, nor the person he will replace. The retention of Dinesh Mongia at No.7 defies logic other than superstition and the captain8217;s firm faith in him. The only time in the tournament he has helped out India was the game against Holland, where he scored 42.

The two who could take his place, Agarkar and Bangar, are all-rounders with fine batting records. Agarkar8217;s highest ODI score is 95, while Bangar is an Test opener.

For now, though, fortune favours the bold and Ganguly is the master of bold decisions remember his deciding to bat first under an overcast sky at Headingley last year 8212; and then for himself, Tendulkar and Dravid to score centuries as India won the match and levelled the series?.

At first his actions seem atrociously out of place but, when things work out, there is widespread praise for the skipper. 8216;8216;Ganguly has decided to prove everybody wrong in this tournament and to tell you honestly he has been truly brilliant,8217;8217; Gaekwad says.