India win a rain curtailed contest by CricketArchive Staff Reporter

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Scorecard:	New Zealand v India
Player:	V Sehwag, MS Dhoni, SK Raina, Harbhajan Singh, MJ Guptill
Event:	India in New Zealand 2008/09

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DateLine: 3rd March 2009

 

Blistering half-centuries by Virender Sehwag, Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Suresh Raina powered India to 273 for 4 in the curtailed opening ODI against New Zealand at McLean Park. The match was reduced to 38 overs a side after rain forced the players off the field shortly after the start. India were once again indebted to Virender Sehwag for a blistering start. Despite a 140-minute rain delay that reduced the match to 38 overs a side, Sehwag lost none of his early fluency, pummelling 77 from just 56 balls before Ross Taylor came up with a stunning catch at cover to deny him another century at Napier.

 

After the resumption, and the reduction in the Powerplay overs, India's sense of urgency was apparent. Sachin Tendulkar pulled Iain O'Brien for four, and then guided Kyle Mills through the vacant slip position, while Sehwag cut a six over point. Things were looking bleak for New Zealand before Ian Butler came on, playing his first ODI in more than four years and he immediately provided the breakthrough with the wicket of Tendulkar getting the thinnest of edges through to Brendon McCullum. Dhoni promoted himself to the top of the order and Sehwag continued with his merry making way till Taylor's stunning catch. Yuvraj struggled to middle the ball during his stay at the crease and he was put out of his misery by a run-out when attempting a second run.

 

Dhoni was then joined by Raina at the crease and both then, with Raina in particular smashed the Kiwi bowling attack to smithereens as they plundered 110 runs in 12.2 overs. Raina struck stunning four sixes and five well timed boundaries while Dhoni made a well paced 84 of 89 balls which included six hits to the fence. Yusuf Pathan as usual provided the late innings impetus as he clubbed 20 off just 10 balls.

 

New Zealand started off their innings on a bad note when they lost the first wicket in the form of Brendon McCullum for next to nothing on the board. The New Zealand innings came to a complete stop as Zaheer Khan and Praveen Kumar kept tight as the first two overs of the Kiwi innings were maidens. The run rate was just creeping up and and to make the matters worse Ryder's wicket also hurt the Kiwi's cause.

 

Guptill was unperturbed with the happenings at the other end as he went for his shots and together with Ross Taylor stitched a fifty run association for the third wicket. It looked like they would take the fight back to the Indian camp and surprisingly Dhoni preferred his part time spinners in the form of Yuvraj and Pathan instead of Harbhajan Singh. Pathan removed Taylor and then Elliot going for a second run was run out by a flat throw from Sehwag from the deep.

 

The rain came down again in the 21st over and then the play was resumed after 40 minutes delay with the target revised to 214 in 28 overs and the batting powerplay reduced to just two overs. On the first ball after resumption Yuvraj dismissed Oram when he was caught by Dhoni as he attempted a sweep. Guptill still threw his bat around and the batting powerplay was taken in the 23rd over and Zaheer bowled an excellent over first up giving away only six runs and then Harbhajan claimed three wickets in four balls. Zaheer then joined the party by getting Butler to sky a catch to fine leg. Vettori played some entertaining shots off Yuvraj Singh who bowled the penultimate over but by then India had wrapped up the match.