MS Dhoni: Fast bowlers did brilliantly but our spinners are the main reason we won the match. Virat’s batting was also great, but I’m happy with overall team performance. This bowling attack hunts as a pack— Ashwin and Ojha bowl very well together with the pace support. Virat really did well to soak up pressure in both innings. As for fielding, our slip catching was also brilliant and so were the close fielders.
Man of the series Ashwin: Things have gone to the plan for me. The wicket in Bangalore was much more challenging than Hyderabad. The only change I made for this pitch was in pace because it wasn’t spinning as much as I expected.
Man of the match Kohli: NZ came back strongly and it was tricky situation when I came in. Me and MS decided to chase the target 10-runs at a time and it worked. I’m not thinking about personal achievements… I just want to enjoy my cricket.
Ross Taylor: We did have chances in the game. We showed a lot of character and fight to come back after 1st test. Today we knew we were close but the way Kohli and Dhoni batted took game away from us. We can learn from this series for the next one against South Africa.
Ind 262-5 after 63.2 overs
Kohli 51, Dhoni 48
File picture of Kohli and Dhoni. Reuters
This is how you finish a match. A four, followed by a six. Dhoni… Dhoni… Dhoni. What a finisher. And Kohli is learning the tricks of the trade from him as well. They made it look easy in the end but it was anything but that.
Ind 252-5 after 63 overs
Kohli 51, Dhoni 38
Three fours in the last over got Kohli his fifty. It came off 82 balls and it was classy to say the least. This young man is just playing beautiful cricket.
Ind 234-5 after 61 overs
Kohli 39, Dhoni 32
Good, intelligent cricket. Nothing rash. India are trying to get home safe and dry with singles. The bad ball is punished but nothing crazy. India require another 27 runs with 5 wickets remaining.
Ind 225-5 after 58 overs
Kohli 34, Dhoni 26
India require another 36 runs with 5 wickets remaining. What a knock by Kohli. The partnership with Dhoni is now worth 59 runs. The calm that Kohli displays in the middle is almost unreal.
And see this…
Guess who’s angry eh? More images here: firstpost.com/photos/images-… #Sachin twitter.com/FirstpostSport…
— FirstpostSports (@FirstpostSports) सितम्बर 3, 2012
Ind 213-5 after 56 overs
Kohli 25, Dhoni 26
Finally, the target is below 50 runs — 48 to win with 5 wickets remaining. Wow. This is going right down to the wire.
Ind 204-5 after 54 overs
Kohli 17, Dhoni 25
A bit of a lull. New Zealand are bowling a little wide of the stumps, so if India want to score they will have to go after the balls. In between, one of the balls comes in or a bouncer is bowled. But to their credit, Dhoni and Kohli seem very calm in the middle. Good batting this. India require another 57 runs with 5 wickets remaining.
Ind 201-5 after 52 overs
Kohli 17, Dhoni 22
Kohli gets hit on the helmet but a short ball from Southee. Doesn’t look too perturbed by it thought. Then Dhoni got a ball that lifted off a length — it’s not over yet. If India starting thinking that way, they’ll be in trouble.
Meanwhile, Rahul Dravid shown in the commentary box on the big-screen in Bangalore and the noise is deafening. One couldn’t even hear Dravid speak.
Ind 199-5 after 51 overs
Kohli 16, Dhoni 21
Patel is out of the attack, it’s pace from both ends now. Bracewell and Southee. Can they change things around? Dhoni was certainly more comfortable with spin.
Ind 196-5 after 49 overs
Kohli 15, Dhoni 19
A maiden from Bracewell but Dhoni backed himself to hit a six off Patel. That’s the difference between Dhoni and Raina. Dhoni backs himself to succeed, Raina just hopes he will. India require another 65 runs with 5 wickets remaining.
Ind 189-5 after 47 overs
Kohli 14, Dhoni 13
Dhoni living dangerously. Was beaten by one from Boult but every run in crucial. And then Boult gave India a gift — a wide down the leg-side. New Zealand sure could have used a Dan Vettori here. India require another 72 runs with 5 wickets remaining.
Ind 174-5 after 45 overs
Kohli 13, Dhoni 3
Raina wanted to finish the match off with big shots but he should watch Kohli and learn a thing or two from him. There is a certain rhythm to a Test match and Raina just hasn’t managed to match it yet. Kohli, on the other hand, seems much more composed. Can someone stay with him till the end? Ideally, Dhoni should stick around.
Ind 166-5 after 42.5 overs
S Raina b Patel 0 (10b)
And Raina finally gave in. He just couldn’t figure out what to do — went for the almighty heave and missed it completely. The ball hit the middle stump. The pressure got the better of him. Horrible shot, just horrible. India require another 95 runs with 5 wickets remaining.
Ind 158-4 after 41 overs
Kohli 0, Raina 0
The runs have dried up. At the time of the rain break, India were 147-2 in 32.5 overs. Now, after almost 9 overs, they have added just 11 runs and lost two wickets as well. How will Kohli and Raina respond? Raina doesn’t have much of a defensive game, so it will be interesting to see.
Ind 158-4 after 39.3 overs
C Pujara c Flynn b Patel 48 (104b, 7×4)
Super catch by Flynn at short leg, the ball bounced off Pujara’s pad and went a long way but Flynn moved quickly and took a good diving one-handed catch. India in some trouble now. This won’t be easy. Good bowling by Patel, he tossed it up and slowed down the pace — usually bowls around 90 km/h, this one was 84 km/h. Pujara was beaten in the air. The crowd has been stunned into silence. India require another 103 runs with 6 wickets remaining.
Ind 158-3 after 38 overs
Pujara 48, Kohli 0
Over to the youth brigade. Once again, all the senior batsmen are back in the hut. India need 103 runs more to win. Can they get them?
Ind 152-3 after 34.4 overs
S Tendulkar b Southee 27 (34b, 5×4)
Sachin Tendulkar was bowled once again. AP
Tendulkar gets bowled again. For the second time in the match and in very similar fashion to the first innings. It’s not over yet. Southee the bowler. Guess the knives will be out for him now… he was angry — Sachin’s reaction was an angry one… he wanted to smash the stumps… just managed to stop himself. You might have never seen him like this. it’s started drizzling again, very light though. That’s the 12th time Tendulkar has been bowled or leg before in his last 24 innings since England tour in 2011.
Match resumes
43.1 overs remain for the day. India need 114 runs to get a result today. Can they do it?
1407 IST: Tea has been taken
Tea taken from 1:55 to 2:15. Covers still on at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore. It’s still drizzling but the drainage is good. Expect play to start quickly once the drizzle stops.
1340 IST: Still drizzling
It stopped for a bit, the covers came off and then it started again. Still no official word on when the match will resume.
Ind 142-2 after 32.5 overs
Pujara 41, Tendulkar 23
Two consecutive fours from Tendulkar — standing and delivering. Classy stuff. He is getting into the act now. He’s had enough, now to go for the shots. But just as we say that it starts raining. Bad time for a break — India were just about starting to press down on the accelerators. New Zealand’s shoulders were starting to droop. India require another 114 runs with 8 wickets remaining. The partnership is worth 64 runs in 15.5 overs.
McCullum misses stumping
Pujara survives thanks to McCullum. Patel beat Pujara all ends up but McCullum botches up the stumping chance quite badly. India heave a sigh of relief.
Ind 128-2 after 31 overs
Pujara 37, Tendulkar 8
Short and fast. That has been New Zealand’s plan of attack against Pujara. In the last over, one of the balls hit him in the helmet before going to the boundary. He was mostly a glance, didn’t shake him up too much. Good scoring rate of 4.16 for India.
Ind 121-2 after 29 overs
Pujara 35, Tendulkar 7
Cheteshwar Pujara has been peppered with short balls. AP
India are playing superbly. They are not just not hanging around in the middle. Every bad ball is getting the treatment it deserves. Good stuff by Pujara in particular — he is looking to take the attack to the Kiwis… he is becoming quite the fourth innings master.
Ind 112-2 after 27 overs
Pujara 26, Tendulkar 7
Wow. Pujara is playing a blinder — by his standards. India require another 149 runs with 8 wickets remaining. New Zealand need a few wickets or this is over.
Ind 100-2 after 25 overs
Pujara 19, Tendulkar 3
India need 161 for victory. The pitch isn’t easy and the odd ball jumps up. But Pujara is looking settled. Sachin hasn’t been troubled much either. But every session in this match has been a ripper — still waiting for something to happen now.
Ind 92-2 after 23 overs
Pujara 13, Tendulkar 1
Tendulkar off the mark but Pujara needs to put the hook shot away. He got out that way in the first innings and played it again, once more he wasn’t in control.
Ind 89-2 after 22 overs
Pujara 11, Tendulkar 0
No strike for Tendulkar after lunch. Pujara has faced all the deliveries. New Zealand are looking pretty steady now.
Ind 88-2 after 20 overs
Pujara 10, Tendulkar 0
Players are back on after lunch. This is exciting stuff. This is real Test cricket.
Ind 88-2 after 20 overs
Pujara 10 (22b, 1×4), Tendulkar 0 (7b)
That’s lunch. What a session. Now, this is what we call a good cricket pitch. Everyone has had their moment on this pitch – the batsmen, the spinners, the pacemen. Everyone. New Zealand are still in this and things are going to get tougher for India — with Sehwag gone, the fours haven’t quite come easily enough. India require another 173 runs with 8 wickets remaining to win the match. Play will restart at 1210 IST.
Off twitter, @mohanstatsman tells us: Highest successful run chases in India: 387-4 Ind-Eng Chennai 2008; 276-5 WI-Ind Delhi 1987; 276-5 Ind-WI Delhi 2011 256-8 Ind-Aus Bbay 1964.
Ind 87-2 after 19 overs
Pujara 9, Tendulkar 0
Tendulkar just survived a big appeal off Boult. The ball was coming in but perhaps it hit him just outside the line. Sufficient doubt there but that was pretty close. This is a dangerous period — the few minutes before lunch. The Indian batsmen are not looking to play shots, NZ bowling well now.
Ind 83-2 after 17 overs
G Gambhir c Taylor b Boult 34 (58b, 7×4)
And that’s it. Gambhir’s cameo comes to an end — a very vital knock no doubt — but he was once again out edging one outside the off-stump. This is becoming an epidemic for him. Sachin Tendulkar is in next. In the commentary box, Gavaskar is angry: “It was a nothing shot. One can understand if he had gone for a full-blooded square cut.”
Ind 79-1 after 15 overs
Gambhir 34, Pujara 1
Things have slowed down for India after Sehwag’s dismissal but no need for India to get worried. They’ve made a good start and from this point on they need to play ‘normal’ cricket to win.
Ind 77-1 after 13 overs
Gambhir 33, Pujara 0
And that’s the first maiden of the innings. It took a while coming but New Zealand need plenty more to bring the match under control. India will hope Gambhir doesn’t give his wicket away — he is set now and his wicket will be key.
Ind 77-1 after 12 overs
V Sehwag b Patel 38 (33b, 7×4, 1×6)
Second delivery from Patel and Sehwag walks down and smashes him for six over long-off. Two balls later, another four. This is quite crazy. But then Sehwag tried one hit too many. He missed the straighter one completely — got bowled. In the commentary box, Ganguly says: ‘Only Sehwag can do this.’ We agree. Cheteshwar Pujara is in next. Gambhir on 33 off 38 balls with 7 fours.
Ind 65-0 after 10 overs
Gambhir 32, Sehwag 27
Edged and four! Sehwag edged one through the gully region… but he won’t be troubled by that. and just to show that he wasn’t — he smashed two more fours in the over. New Zealand on the other hand should be worried. They are leaking fours at the moment. Ross Taylor needs to go down to his bowlers and have a word with them. After one good innings, New Zealand’s seamers have reverted to the norm. This isn’t good bowling.
Ind 50-0 after 8 overs
Gambhir 30, Sehwag 14
India have already hit 10 boundaries this morning and that shows just how aggressive they have been. Gambhir has hit seven of those and he looks like a changed man. Superb batting though, New Zealand have been pushed on to the backfoot. It took just 48 balls for the 50-run partnership. India need 211 to win. The last 50-run stand between the duo Last was 67 v WI at Mumbai in November, 2011.
Ind 42-0 after 7 overs
Gambhir 22, Sehwag 14
If it happens, this will be the first 50-run partnership for the pair in 11 innings. That’s shows just how rough a patch they have been going through.
Ind 29-0 after 5 overs
Gambhir 14, Sehwag 10
India want to make the most of the start — the bowlers have not yet settled and the Indian openers are in no mood to let them settle.
Ind 20-0 after 3 overs
Gambhir 6, Sehwag 9
Sehwag’s hit two fours, missed a couple and defended a few as well. The bowlers are getting help off the wickets and in the air but the Indian openers are in aggressive mode. One ball from Southee really took off after hitting a crack on the pitch — expect more of that.
Ind 6-0 after 1 over
Gambhir 6, Sehwag 0
Decent start for India. Gambhir is looking be aggressive. So far, he has looked tentative, worried about his form and off-stump but now he needs to stand up and be counted. In recent years, India have chased better but this is still a tough ask. Don’t get carried away by early momentum. Gambhir-Sehwag average 48.81 in the fourth innings — India can use each one of those runs.
All about the new ball
For India, it’s going to be all about the new ball. Southee was stunning in the first innings but the greater worry for India is the opening pair. Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag need to get going today — a good opening stand will go a long way.
NZ 248 all after 73.2 overs
J Patel c †Dhoni b Khan 22 (27b, 3×4)
Patel edges one to the keeper. Zaheer gets the wicket. NZ bowled out for 248. Patel didn’t look too happy and the umpire took his time. Replays showed that the ball missed the bat completely. Stroke of luck that India needed? We’ll know soon enough. But things eventually even out.
India will need 261 to win — this won’t be an easy chase.
NZ 247-9 after 72 overs
Patel 21, Boult 4
Patel playing a very intelligent innings — milking the singles and when he can, going for the big shot. The Indian pacemen haven’t been very effective. We are going to see spin for the first time in the morning. New Zealand lead by 259 runs with 1 wicket remaining. Dhoni needs to get his field right though — too defensive. NZ batsmen are picking singles easily.
Lead is 251 now
It doesn’t sound like much but these are all psychological marks — especially for a team that isn’t very good at chasing. Well, no team is. That’s the kind of game cricket is.
NZ 233-9 after 70 overs
Patel 11, Boult 0
Decent start to the day. Zaheer, bowling at around 134 km/h, getting good carry through to the keeper. New Zealand will be happy to see that.
Day 4
India’s fans will be hoping for the best. AP
What a day lies ahead of us! Sunil Gavaskar reckons that the pitch is still pretty good for batting and if India can avoid the cross-batted shots, they will manage to get home safe and dry. But before India get down to batting, they have the last-wicket partnership to dislodge. Boult and Patel aren’t the best batsmen but every run scored from this point on will be vital. The cracks on the pitch are opening up but do New Zealand have the batsmen to exploit them? Furthermore, will India’s batsmen come alive or will they experience the terrors of the fourth innings once again.
The highest India have successfully chased in the fourth innings at Bangalore is 207-3 against Australia in 2010. New Zealand’s lead is already 244 runs.
Day 3
India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin once again turned out to be New Zealand’s tormentor with his fifth five-wicket haul that left the visitors at 232 for nine at the close of the third day’s play in the second and final test on Sunday.
New Zealand, trailing 1-0 in the two test series, have a lead of 244 runs with their number 10 batsman Jeetan Patel (10) and number 11 Trent Boult (nought) at the crease.
Batsman Virat Kohli, who completed his second test century in the morning, said India had enough time to chase down any target with two more days left in the match.
“When you have a lot of time you don’t have to think about the target, you just play normal cricket,” Kohli said.
“I don’t think the wicket is doing so much that we have to be worried about the target that’s been set.
“If we think to bat three-four sessions, we should be in a good position to win the match.”
- Reuters
