Report: India Vs Newzealan 2nd Odi By Mohsin Kamal

NZ take 2-0 lead with a win in rain-truncated game at Hamilton Prajakta Pawar in Mumbai2014-01-22 15:41:44 Chasing the Duckworth-Lewis set 293-run target after New Zealand posted 271, India went down fighting in the second ODI. They ended up losing by 15 runs at Seddon Park. A Corey Anderson blitzkrieg and Kane Williamson’s solid knock helped NZ to 271 for seven in a rain-curtailed 42 overs-a-side match. Anderson’s fireworks complemented by Ross Taylor and a late onslaught by Luke Ronchi helped add 101 runs off 52 balls. But with the revised target, India had a tough ask ahead of them. After Virat Kohli set the pace with a 65-ball 78, MS Dhoni worked hard to scale the target with a 44-ball 56. But with the run-rate steadily increasing, India lost the battle completely after the departure of the skipper. Earlier, Jesse Ryder was back in the pavilion after a short burst, while Martin Guptill bided his time at the crease after NZ were asked to bat first. Williamson, who replaced him, gave the home team a solid foundation. But after a brief rain interruption, Guptill’s innovative sweep off Suresh Raina saw the end of the flourishing partnership. Taylor then survived a stumping, while on 13. But a rain delay, this time for a longer duration, with NZ on 170 for two in 34th over, changed the complexion of the game, reducing the innings by seven overs. The powerplay was redistributed to nine and four overs, and since Brendon McCullum’s side had already used up 10, they had three overs of batting powerplay left, which they took after the innings resumed. In the first over of the batting powerplay, Williamson was stumped for 77. But with NZ needing to accelerate at that stage, Anderson took charge of the innings. The youngster smothered the Indian bowlers with his might. The Indian attack was tested during his 17-ball stay that added 44 runs to the NZ total. Much to India’s relief, a change of pace from Ishant Sharma sent Anderson back to the pavilion as he was caught by Dhawan at long-on. In the next over, Mohammed Shami held a return catch to send Brendon McCullum back for a duck. And later in the over, Taylor’s pull at the pacer’s delivery was caught by the Indian skipper. The Indian bowlers had struck in quick succession to slow down the Kiwi onslaught. In the following over, Bhuvneshwar Kumar rocked Nathan McCullum’s off-stump with a yorker to leave the Black Caps on 252 for seven. With Kyle Mills at the other end, Luke Ronchi then added useful runs to set India a stiff target. Chasing, the visitors lost Dhawan with only 22 runs on the board. And two overs later, Rohit Sharma, who was let off on four, nicked Southee to the ‘keeper to enter the books as the pacer’s 100th ODI wicket. No.3 batsman, Virat Kohli, then found an able ally in Ajinkya Rahane. With the required run-rate hovering around eight runs per over, Kohli led the charge against the Kiwi bowlers. He lofted Southee over extra-cover for a six as the pair continued to accumulate runs. His 50 came off 41 balls as they looked to scale the target. Rahane also chipped away at the bowlers and had made his way to 36 before edging the ball to Ronchi. Mitchell McClenaghan called on by his skipper, answered by ending the partnership for 90. With 170 required at over nine runs per over, Dhoni came in to bat ahead of Raina. The NZ bowlers kept up the pressure and the required run-rate crept up. Just as Kohli looked to keep up with the asking rate, he struck Southee to midwicket to return for 78 after India had taken the batting powerplay. However, in the next over, the Dhoni-Suresh Raina pair collected 16 runs off Anderson, dispatching him to the boundary thrice. With the match precariously poised, Dhoni and Raina kept India in the hunt for a while. Forced to look for the big hits, Raina perished when he was caught by Southee off Mills. With the team on 226 for five, Jadeja took guard, stepped out and hit Mills for a six over long-on.Surviving half-chances as they took the aerial route and running risky singles, India pushed their way towards the revised 293-run target. However, Dhoni soon returned to the pavilion, leaving India on 257 for six. Two balls later, Jadeja missed a slower one and was castled, while Ashwin followed him back thereafter. Bhuvneshwar Kumar then fell to Tim Southee in the last over. It was rain again that called the shots and signaled the end of the game with India on 277 for nine and three balls remaining. Man of the Match:Kane Williamson for his 77-run knock :-(. MOHSIN KAMAL

We played well but could have done better: Parvez Rasool

A team works better when there’s more of we and less of me,’ must be the dictum driving Parvez Rasool, captain of Jammu and Kashmir’s Ranji team that bowed out of the nation’s premier domestic tournament at the Motibaugh ground here on Saturday. On the eve of his side’s quarterfinal contest against Punjab, he chose to focus on this season’s gains. Three of his bowlers had bags of over 20 wickets each and some batsmen had scored upwards of 350. “Many individual contributions brought the team to the knockouts,” he had said, explaining his squad’s first ever entry into the elite after more than half a century. “We don’t have the big name players like Punjab. Most of them have played international (matches) or the IPL. We only have one player who has played at that level,” Majid Dar had added in a realistic assessment of his team that many expected would be crushed by Punjab. In the end, only 100 runs separated the winner from the vanquished. “Kashmir played really well and it was no easy win for Punjab, but a hard-fought one,” victorious skipper Harbhajan Singh acknowledged. “If one batsman had been associated in a good stand in support of Hardeep (who was unbeaten on 76), it would have made a difference. We played well but could have done better,” said Rasool looking back on the match they had lost. “An over 300 target in the fourth inning is never easy. I wouldn’t say we played loose shots but VRV (Singh) bowled really well. We enjoyed a lot of crowd support here, as if we were playing in J & K,” said the man seen to be calm and composed almost always. Hardships On day three, accomplished opening bat Adil Reshi had taken a nasty blow on the chest that clearly took its toll on his game. Hardeep had his own share of hardships too. Going into the game with a stiff wrist that hampered his free strokeplay, he was hit twice on his right hand, necessitating an exit for medical attention. An unwell Obaid Haroon was forced to desert his post as stumper on day three, leaving part-timer Reshi with an onerous task. Such a condition could have affected Haroon’s batting too, as he fell cheaply on the last day, when Kashmir needed the runs badly. Rasool scored a century, then bagged five wickets but didn’t come good with the bat in his second stint. “V.R.V. Singh’s delivery cut in sharply, catching me LBW,” he said of his dismissal. The accolades for his own achievements he took in his stride. “I thank the Almighty and hope I will continue to contribute to the team as it’s captain and senior player,” he said. On the road ahead, Rasool said, “We play in the elite section next year. Godwilling and to do well, we will need to put in more effort.