India in NewZealand: Dhoni Speaks : Team India celebrates the test series win

"Of course it is a bit disappointing not to win this Test," captain MS Dhoni said. India's disappointment was evident at not winning the Test, despite a charismatic spell of legspin bowling from Sachin Tendulkar, who combined really well with Harbhajan Singh. Harbhajan, with 16 wickets, ended as the highest wicket-taker in the series. The smiles on the faces of the seniors said it all, "I have come here 3 times and I'm happy we finally won" said Rahul Dravid.

The only disappointment was when the series came to an end in a rain affected match. There was no running for the stumps for souvenirs, There was No high fives and group hugs.. There was no grabbing the Indian Flag and taking the victory lap.. History only creeped in slowly.. 2-0 or 1-0 Dhoni and his men were given the task of getting back home with series win and that is what they are coming back with.


But the obvious question was whether India brought it upon themselves by declaring too late, despite having known the forecast for rain. India were 531 ahead when they started the fourth day, but batted on for half a session. India perhaps didn't want to leave anything to chance after having come so close. "You can't really bank on the weather," Dhoni said. A lot has been said about Dhoni and his delayed declaration in media, but the only answer to silence this attack is with a smile and the trophy in the hand and that is what Dhoni did as he posed for photographs after the press conference.

"What we wanted to do in the second innings was to attack, attack and attack so that even if one ball goes in the air, you want a fielder to catch it. That's only possible when you have the extra 70-80 runs. You don't want to change your plan, whatever position you are in. With two days of play, we knew it may rain, but at that point of time, it was not certain. With the amount of wind that goes around, there was a very good chance that the clouds would have been blown away also." He added. The safety-first approach highlighted India's lack of success overseas. The value of this win was immense and its enormity is beginning to be understood. "It's a fantastic atmosphere [in the dressing room], can't get better," Dhoni said.

"We have set the benchmark," Dhoni said. "Next time when we come to New Zealand, people expect you to win. You have achieved something that's big, but the tough part is to maintain it, to sustain it. It never gets easy for a cricketer. If you have not achieved something, there's pressure on you to achieve it. Once you have achieved it, there is pressure to sustain it. Nothing comes easy, it will be tougher for the guys who come on the next tour."

Criticism: This is the worst NZ side of the past, the wickets were flat and suited the Indians. The absence of Shane Bod and other experienced players has affected the way the Kiwis perform. That probably signifies the reason for Kiwi's at no.8 in the test rankings. India on the other hand had every single person in the team in supreme form which was not when the team toured in the past. In the past the wickets were lively and Indians found it tough to stay on the wicket. It would have been bad for Indian cricket if they had not won on this easy paced tracks.


"Contributions came when they were needed," he said. "Wickets were on the flatter side, there wasn't much in it for the bowlers, so they have to keep on changing their plans and improvising at times. The same applied with the batsmen as well. Overall, the effort by the bowlers was really great, and the lower-order contribution is very important because that really takes the morale of the team up. Whenever it was really needed from them, the lower-order contributed.

"We didn't rely on one specific individual, everybody contributed. Each and every batsman scored at some point in the series and the same applies to the bowlers also. At times, there was one end, which was not favoring the seamers, maybe because of the wind or not much help from the wicket. Still, bowling your heart out from that end, you really need quite a determined body and mind to do that. Quite happy with the performance overall."

No matter what team India has achieved in terms of performance and criticism, They come back with a series win, and a tough 41 year record off their backs. This is not the first time this team has had records off their backs, here are some list of the 'First's' that India achieved in the last months (If i can recall)

1st ever CB Series win in Austrlia
1st Series win in South Africa
1st Clean sweep of 5-0 against England
Highest margin of victory of 300 + runs over Australia
Highest run chase of 342 runs in the last innings to win a test match
1st one day series win in NewZealnd soil
1st test series win in NZ after 41 years
1st one day series win in west Indies
And many other such records.

Talking about records, Rahul Dravid now holds the record of highest number of catches taken by any cricketer around the world. Every run that Sachin Tendulkar scores is a record in itself. He scored some fantastic fifties and hundreds throughout the tour. Sehwag showed his form with the bat in the one day series, Gambhir did it during the tests. Dhoni and Laxman contributed with the bat. Harbhajan took 16 wickets, highest in the series and scored a match winning 60 in the last test. Zaheer chippe in with the bat and the ball. Only disappointments for India would have been the form of Ishant Sharma and Yuvraj Singh. Third Seamer Munaf patel did well but needed t step up his game to help India dominate the matches.

with almost no test cricket for India until December 09 in Bangladesh, Team India will be hoping to find some fresh talent and more importantly a bowling all rounder to complete the test side. The players are now headed home, and after spending sometime with their families they will be off to South Africa for IPL followed by their visit to England for the world Twenty20.

All player Statements courtesy CricInfo






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India in NewZealand: 2nd Test Review : Gambhir, Laxman score tons as India bat out a draw

30 March 2009: India maintain the lead of 1-0 in the three match test series against New Zealand after they drew the second test match at Napier today. Gautam Gambhir played a match saving inning of137 off 436 balls after a dismall batting performance by the Indian batsman in their first innigs. Daniel vettori would be proud of his men for taking the match so far, at one point looking favourites to win the match.



Gambhir along with Dravid batted out almost 4 sessions in their effort to save the napier test, which the home team looked favourites after the score of 619/9 dec courtesy a double ton from the man in form, Jesse Ryder. New Zealand won the toss and immediately elected to bat. Standing Captain Virender Sehwag replaced the injured Mahinder Singh Dhoni for this test would have been a happy man as the Indian bowlers picked 3 early wickets dismissing Guptill, McIntosh and Jamie How. Yuvraj Singh's curse with luck started when he dropped Ross Taylor at third slip when he was on 8, who went on to make 151 off 204 balls in partnership with Jesse Ryder who took the match away from India.

Jesse Ryder hardly broke any sweat as he continued on his way to his maiden 200 run score contributing majorly in two big partnerships with Taylor and Franklin to traumatize the Indian Bowling attack. . Some easy takers. Indian bowlers bowled their heart out and would have been frustrated to see so many deliveries take the edge off the bat and fly past the slips to boundaries towards third man. India never looked in any sort of form in the field as a number of catches went down begging, Yuvraj dropping 3 in the match.

Bendon McCullum celebrated his maiden test hundred with tears in his eyes as he in partnership with captain Dan Vettori who scored another 50 took New zealand past the elusive 600 mark. Indian Spinners struggled to build pressure as New zealand declared the innings for a monstrous 619 for 9, leaving India with a session and 3 days to bat themselves out off the hole they had dug into.

ScoreCard Courtesy: Sify Sports

India started off in blistering fashing as Virender Sehwag scored a majority of his runs in boundaries before he lost his wicket caught behind by McCullum trying to squirt a outside off ball for six. He had smacked the earlier ball for a six. Gambhir also lost his wicket playing a needless shot with the day drawng towards an end. ishant walked in as a night watchman and only survived as many as 13 balls in company of Rahul Dravid out lbw to Dan vettori. Sachin faced the Reminder of the balls to end Day 2.

Day 3 brought more drama as the Indians constantly lost their wickets in an effort to score runs. The wall, Dravid scored 83 and he in partnership with Sachin(49) and Laxman(76) restored some respectability in the inning. India lost their way after the dismissal of Dravid out caught by McCullum trying to sqauare drive a wide delivery from Jesse Ryder. They were bundled out for 305, 314 runs behind, India was asked to follow-on.

Sehwag and Gambhir played cautiously, but as soon as Jeetan patel was introduced into the attack Sehwag lost his mind. He edged his first ball to the fine leg boundary and was out lbw, plumb in front trying to smack the second ball over the Mid-wicket boundary. "DUMB" as the commentators called the shot, It's just how Sehwag plays. Dravid and Gambhir steadied the ship and saw India past day 3. Day 4 belonged to India and Gautam Gambhir as he brought on his 100. He played some good aggressive shots in his inning of 137. Dravid helped himself to another test 50 before he was out for 62. Sachin also scored another 50 to help India regain control as the match moved into Day 5. In an Inning that was dominated more by the bat than the ball, VVS Laxman brought about his hundred in partnership with Yuvraj Singh who raced his way to a 50.





India batted superbly in the second inning as both catains shaked their hand to confirm the match drawn. Jesse Ryder was given the Man Of the Match for his double ton with the bat and few wickets with the ball. Special efforts from Rahul Dravid and Gambhir. Dravid has silenced all his critics by springing back to form and hasn't he celebrated it well so far. Both his innings in this Test match have looked very convincing and authoritative. Gambhir especially looked total opposite to what he did in the first innings. Who would have imagined that he would play such a matured knock after having thrown his wicket away in the first innings. He curbed down his natural instincts and batted out of his skin to rescue his side. Laxman was truly special as well for his magnificent ton.

This is a moral victory for the Indians, defeat loomed large over them after they were bundled out cheaply in the first innings. But then the batting stalwarts got into the act and put up a show for which they're known for across the globe. Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar and Laxman, all put their heads down and batted for time unknown to seal a draw for their side. This is indeed no less than a win for the visitors. India still lead the series 1-0.

And Now we move to wellington April 3rd, can the NewZealand team pull a series draw? Join me for more action and updates, till then it's a good bye from me.

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India in NewZealand: 2nd test, Day 2 review : Ryder gets a double ton

Indian chances of claiming their 100th test win, and re-writing the history by winning the series in New zealand look slim as the second day of the second test at Napier was completely dominated by the home team. The Indian bowlers looked all over the place on their pitch map to right hand and left hand batsman. Harbhajan Singh who got six wickets in the 2nd inning of the first test match was seen helpless without turn. Daniel vettori and the New zealand batsman capitalized on the opportunity as they set a massive score of 619/9 declared.



The Indian team never looked organized in the field, The day however didn't present many opportunities India's way. It was all a New Zealand and more so a Ryder show. Ryder brought up another 100 run partnership with James Franklin scoring majority of runs in boundaries. Franklin was soon run-out. Ryder played the ball into the covers and out they went, Yuvraj singh with a clean pick up and throw, with Dinesh karthick taking off the bails dismissed Franklin run out to a good 55 off 122 balls. It was the only way Indian's looked like picking wickets.

Ryder and McCullum stitched together another quick 50 run partnership to take the score past what looked like an improbable 450 mark. Ryder hardly broke any sweat as he brought on his 200 but soon got careless as he was out bowled to a full Zaheer Khan delivery. The ball was bowled outside off , Ryder tried to smash it covers ended up played on much to the delight of Zaheer khan who got his important third wicket. A classic knock from Ryder came to an end with NZ at 477/6.

Vettori joined MCCullum at the crease, India should have capitalized on the opportunity with 2 relatively new batsmen at crease. However it was a day where the bat dominated the ball, Both MCCullum and Vettori brought up their fifties at relatively fast speed to bring up another 100 run partnership. The duo added 138 runs in total to take New zealand past 600 but Vettori lost his stumps to Ishant Sharma who bowled a full length in swinger which took the inside edge of the bat played back on to the stumps. McCullum brought up his hundred and lost his wicket soon trying to up the anti. he was out caught by Sachin Tendulkar at deep point trying to play a short pitched deliver over the 66m boundary on the offside for six. Ishant taking his third of the inning.

Jeetan patel and Ian OBrein could add only one run when patel was out caught in the deep by Ishant Sharma off a Harbhajan Singh delivery. A consolation wicket for Bhajji who looked out of form throughout the inning. Newzealand declared the inning just before tea at 619/9 with a session and three days to play.

India's only hope at this time was to start well and hope one of their openers got a big hundred. Sehwag started off in blistering fashion smacking a six and 5 fours before he was out trying under edging the ball to the hands of wicket keeper McCullum off Vettori for a quickfire 34 off 25. Rahul Dravid joined Gambhir at the crease with India at 48/1. The duo batted out 8 more overs before Gambhir tried to smash Jeetan patel over the boundary six only ending up in the hands of Daniel Vettori at mid-on. He was out for 16.

To everybody's surprise, in-walked Ishant Sharma as night watchman with well over 10 overs remaining in the day. He could only lst 5 overs with Dravid taking majority off the strike. Ishant lost his wicket out lbw to a arm ball from Captain dan Vettori forcing Sachin to come out to the middle to face the last few overs. India played out the remaining overs to end the say at 79/3 with sachin on 0 and Dravid on 21.

It was yet another superb day at the office for the Kiwis as they extended their total to a massive one thanks to the double ton by Ryder and a handsome hundred by McCullum with good contribution from the skipper Dan himself. India continued to disappoint with the ball and when put in to bat, they simply didn't know what to do. Their approach would raise a few eyebrows, ofcourse you can't bend Virender Sehwag's style but Gautam Gambhir kicked his wicket away to push his side into deeper trouble. The night-watchman trick didn't work good and now India are three down staring at a cliffy task. New Zealand are in a strong position and are dictating terms to the visitors at the moment. Third day's play should be another interesting affair. Even drawing this contest would take a lot of doing. There's still quite a few big names in the batting line-up of the Indians but the task ahead is no smaller. The Indians will really have to bat out of their skins to ensure a draw.





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India in NewZealand: 2nd Test Preview

India lead the three match Test Series 1-0, and would be looking to seal-the-deal in the second test match to help give the big stars some rest and give chances to players like Rohit Sharma and Praveen Kumar. India should retain the same winning combination while Newzealand will have to make some changes to their squad to give India a fight.Injured players Daniel Flynn and Iain O'Brien have been retained in the New Zealand squad for the second Test against India starting on March 26 in Napier.


However Jamie How has been called up as cover for Flynn who bruised his hand in the first Test. There was no fracture, but the hand was swollen, affecting Flynn's ability to bat.

Off spinner Jeetan Patel returned to the squad after being released to play for Wellington in the State Championship match against Otago where he took 6 for 137. Coach Andy Moles had indicated on Sunday that Patel would play in Napier. Double spin attack should make some difference as Indian batsman in the recent past have gone after slow off spinners and lost wickets. Newzealand will be hoping that this change pays off as the chances of a win look very slim.

Glenn Turner, the head of the selection panel, said Oram was excluded because he was yet to regain full match fitness. "He's only had a couple of days in the domestic competition, and after talking with him we agree he'd benefit from more game time to get up to the fitness level needed for the Test side," Turner said. The only omission from the first Test squad is uncapped bowler Brent Arnel, who was not considered after picking up a side strain during a State Championship match. O'Brien also suffered a side strain during the Test but was hopeful of recovering in the next couple of days.

A lot will depend on the shoulder of Jesse Ryder and Daniel Vettori who scored centuries in the first inning to bail their team out of 60 for 6 to finish at 279 all out. If other batsman play cautiously and around tehm a score of 350-400 can be scored which is defendable and good enough to win a match.

India's downfall could come if they lose some early wickets. The Indian team makes huge scores only when the openers give a good start, Sehwag will be expected to play a fast but long inning. With Sehwag present no score is impossible and given a good batting track, Sehwag will not miss out. Gambhir needs to find some form before the IPL begins on April 18th 2009. Dravid looks to back in his own class specially after he played some of his signature shots including the back foot swipe towards square leg on a full length delivery. Sachin is at the peak of his form and will capitalize on every single opportunity thrown his way. The plight of the NZ bowlers is quite evident when Zaheer Khan brought up his 50 in the first test match.

It looks like a one sided affair unless the NewZealand picks up their game and tries matching up to the quality of Cricket Indians are showcasing. India on the other hands need to stick their feet on the ground and not get carried away like the South African who went on to lose the home series against Australia after beating the world champions on home soil. Match starts 3AM IST tomorrow.

More News updates, Previews and reviews follow. Keep visiting the Blog for more.

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IPL2: Player Reactions - IPL2 Moves to South Africa

Ex captain of South Africa, Shaun Pollock is a very happy man after hearing the news about SA being confirmed as the host for the second edition of the IPL. Shaun Pollock plays for Mumbai Indians team and most of his team members are already preparing for the tournament in South Africa.

Sachin Tendulkar, captain of the Mumbai Indian team feels that the it will not be the same as playing in India. "It is disappointing that the IPL has been moved out of India," he said. "We will certainly miss playing in front of our supporters. It won't be the same. It was a good concept to play home and away matches. This is something that the teams will miss this time around. Wherever we play, we hope to have the same fervour that we had had last season." said Sachin.

Steyn and Smith of South Africa who are currently busy playing host to the South Africans are happy to learn that the IPL governing body decided to hand them an opportunity. They promised good cricket and a bigger support from the crowds. More player reactions inside..


Yuvraj Singh, the Kings XI Punjab captain, also said that this season was going to be different from last year. He also hoped that the Indian players would be allowed to take their families to the IPL because they would have just returned from a long tour of New Zealand. "It is sad that the IPL won't be held in India. But we have to go ahead with it as it is the decision of the board," Yuvraj said. "As we would be returning home from New Zealand after a long tour, we hope we are allowed to take our families along.



Mutaih Muralitharan is happy that the matches are still on as he recovers from the attack on the team bus during their tour to Pakistan. The SriLankan players are int he recharge mode as they prepare getting back to the nets as they get ready to participate in the IPL. "I'm glad that the matches are still being played even when there were number of problems in front of the IPL working committee", Cricket had taken a back seat after the terrorist attacks on the SriLankan player in Pakistan. " We have to move on and Cricket should never stop" added Murali.

Jayawardene and Sangakaara along with other Srilankan players have confirmed their availability. Amongst other News, Lalit Modi confirmed that the Pakistani players will not be participating in the tournament following their board's disapproval of the IPL. Players who played in the ICl, a rebel league to the IPL have also been taken back into the national side and have been named in the squad for a one-day seris against Australia in Abudhabi this year.

The Indian Players should be happy with the announcement of delay in the start which allows them to have a breather in already busy schedule ahead of them. Many other young cricketers who will be a part of the IPL will use this as a opportunity to play and perform in a foreign country, A chance that they would have only gotten playing for the National side. The shifting of venue to outside of India could prove as a blessing in disguise for most of these youngsters and the BCCI as this gives them opportunity to enhance their local talent.

So hows does a fan base build when city based teams from India play in South Africa? The only hope for BCCI and the IPL will be that South African Spectators turn up to see a Greame Smith play for the the Rajasthan Royals and Shaun Pollock celebrate a wicket with Sachin Tendulkar for Mumbai Indians. It will be a dilemma for most of these spectators too, hopes BCCI. Everybody loves cricket, be it in India or South Africa, Cricket emerges winner.


The players will be missing out on the local support, but were also excited about the fact of feeling different on a different soil playing amongst a neutral crowd. The organisers of the IPL were forced to shift the tournament out of India after the government said it could not guarantee adequate security for the matches because the tournament would clash with general elections in the country in April-May. The decision to shift was taken after the IPL schedule was reworked several times and finally it was confirmed to be hosted in Sauth Africa a week later starting April 18th as against what was decided as April 10th.


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