Browsing: Vizag

Amit Mishra with teammates gestures towards the pavillion after taking five wickets. (AFP Photo) VISAKHAPATNAM: The frustration of having to…

Amit Mishra holds the winner’s trophy and poses with team members. (AFP Photo) India completed a 3-2 series win over New Zealand by beating them in the decider at Vizag by 190 runs. Here we look at the several passages of play that stood out during the match.India appreciate ‘Nayi Soch’Players of the Indian team sported jerseys with their mother’s name printed on the back during the fifth ODI against New Zealand at Visakhapatnam. The gesture came in response to an ad campaign launched by Star India called ‘Nayi Soch’, that highlights the importance of mothers all over the country. Openers Ajinkya Rahane and Rohit Sharma then walked out to bat with ‘Sujata’ and ‘Purnima’ written above their jersey numbers instead of their surnames which refer to their fathers’ family names. Rohit fifty keeps India afloatRohit Sharma’s scores in the series prior to the final ODI were 14, 15, 13 and 11, a far cry from how he usually performs in the ODIs. Being the more experienced of the two openers, he was also one of the prime reasons why India’s start was sluggish throughout the series. So when it came to the series decider, ‘The Hitman’ found his old self and scored a crucial half-century. Crucial, because it wasn’t the easiest of surfaces to bat on.ALSO READ: Amit Mishra five-for spins India to series winEven though India’s start was slow, Rohit timed a couple of good hits – a six over long off and a boundary towards square leg. The floodgates though really opened when Rohit advanced to Sodhi and sent him over the sidescreen. Having twisted his ankle while diving for a single, he accelerated the innings with poised support from Kohli. With a cracking cut, Rohit brought up his 29th fifty in ODIs. A forward punch for six off Neesham stood out.Timely partnerships save India the blushesThat India put on 269 on the board owes largely to three pivotal partnerships during the innings. The first was between Rohit and Virat Kohli who put on a run-a-ball 79. The pair batted with caution when the scoring seemed difficult and later on with aggression once they got their eye in. After the fall of Rohit’s wicket, Kohli got together with India’s newest No. 4 MS Dhoni and added another 71 important runs.India found themselves at the wrong end of the tunnel once they lost Dhoni and later Kohli with the score on 220. But some lower-order blows from Kedar Jadhav and Axar Patel was equally detrimental to India’s total. Jadhav scored two fours and a six, and along with Axar, added 46 runs in the fag end of the innings.Pandey caps off disappointing series with a noughtManish Pandey was quite the cynosure of all eyes after his match-winning hundred in Australia earlier this year in January. But this series was a forgettable one for the explosive Karnataka batsman. He had a chance to cement a place in the Playing XI with the uncertainty over Suresh Raina. But his scores this series read unsatisfactory numbers: 17, 19, 28*, 12 and 0 here in Vizag. The manner on which he got out was further infuriating. India had just lost Dhoni and needed him to partner Kohli, who was going well. But off the fifth ball, he slog swept Ish Sodhi and slog swept him to Trent Boult and deep-midwicket. It’s a golden chance thrown away especially with India needing someone new to take over the role of a finisher.Umesh gets Guptill againIn the fourth ODI at Ranchi, Martin Guptill shrugged off his poor form. New Zealand would have expected him to carry it forward here as well but Umesh Yadav had other plans. He cleaned up Guptill in almost a replay from the dismissal at Kotla. Like the second ODI, Umesh bowled a similar ball, moving away at the last moment. Guptill brought his bat down but the ball shaped away slightly, beat the edge, clipped his thigh guard and disturbed the woodwork. More importantly, New Zealand lost their first wicket without a score on the board and it led to something quite dramatic.New Zealand slump to one of their worst collapsesChasing 270 to win, New Zealand dished out a rather sub-standard performance, and from 63/2, lost their final eight wickets for all of 16 runs. New Zealand were overwhelmed by the Indian spinners and folded for 79, their fifth-lowest total in ODIs. It wasn’t that the surface was that bad to bat on. In fact, for a moment Kane Willimson made batting look easy. But when he went, it all went downhill from there. Only thee batmen got to double figures, while five registered ducks.Mishra magic floors New ZealandAmit Mishra is usually warming the benches when R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja are part of the squad. In this series, he has proven why India need to take him seriously even in the presence of the two premier spinners. Mishra led the Indian bowling pack with a second five-wicket-haul in ODIs that earned him the Man-of-the-Match award. He generated vicious turn on a few occasions and kept attacking the stumps. Result: 5/18. The wicket of BJ Watling in particular was a treat to the eyes. Mishra set him up well. He bowled consecutive legbreaks and followed it with a perfect googly that went between Watling’s bat and pad and crashed onto the stumps. He was also named Man of the Series for picking up 15 wickets.
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Williamson was New Zealand’s top-scorer of the day with 27. (AP Photo) VISAKHAPATNAM: Bruised and battered by India after being bundled out for a meagre 79 while chasing 270 in the series-deciding fifth and final ODI, New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson today termed the performance of his batting department as “frustrating”.
Williamson said the Kiwi batsmen did not justify to lose eight wickets for just 16 runs.
“That’s what’s so frustrating, because we failed as a batting unit.The spinners of the Indian side bowled very well but I don’t think it is justified to lose 8 wickets for 16 runs. We need to look at some of our plans. There was turn in the pitch in some other games too but we were able to handle it better then,” Williamson said after their massive 190-run defeat in the fifth and final ODI.
“Unfortunately, sometimes the biggest, brightest lessons come from failures and defeats. I certainly hope to learn from here. It was extremely a good effort to take it to the fifth ODI but sitting here after all that, it’s frustrating. The better team certainly won today.
“We certainly weren’t good today. No excuses. India were just the better side. They were consistent throughout the series,” he added.
Ranked ahead of India by one rung, world no. 3 New Zealand showed resilience to bounce back after a 0-3 whitewash in the Test series as they had leveled the five-match ODI rubber 2-2 with a 19-run win in Ranchi.
“Yeah, it’s extremely disappointing. You know, after a tough Test series to bounce back and show the heart that was required, the fight that we needed to go 2-all against a very good Indian side, was a superb effort,” Williamson said.
“They got above-par initially with the bat on a tough surface. There are certainly no excuses from our end, we were extremely poor with the bat today,” he said.
A win would have been made history for the Black Caps, who have never beaten India at home earlier in four contests.
The Kiwi skipper said it’s all about regrouping after going back home when they host Pakistan for two Tests before a packed ODI calendar involving Australia, Bangladesh, South Africa and the Champions Trophy in June next year.
“Yeah, it’s tough to say at the moment. We’re going to go back home and play in very different conditions. At the moment we want to reflect on our performance here. We were somewhat disappointing, barring a couple of games. We want to be showing steps of improvement everyday,” Williamson said.
He further credited India for setting up a challenging 270-run target on a tough batting surface at the Dr YSR ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium here.
“Ideally we would’ve liked to have restricted them to much less. The way the put together partnerships on a pitch that was slow was a very good effort. They kept going at 5 runs an over on this pitch, they certainly deserved to win today. They were fantastic,” he said.
Opener Rohit Sharma returned among runs with a fine 70, while an ever-consistent Virat Kohli slammed 65 before Mahendra Singh Dhoni (41), Kedar Jadhav (39 not out) contributed to take India to 269 for six after electing to bat.
“They had a good score on the board on that surface, but we knew that if we could get partnerships together, who knows, we could’ve done better,” Williamson said.
Despite the losses, Williamson pointed out at the positives they would take home from tour.
“He (Mitchell Santner) has been outstanding. Certainly a highlight from our tour. A young cricketer, who is newish to our side. Although conditions were favourable to spinners here there are a lot of spinners who come here and struggle.
“I guess it’s because of the pace of the wicket against extremely good players of spin. Mitch (Santner) has performed day in and day out. He’s a great asset to have. Not to mention his batting and his fielding as well. Look forward to seeing his progression in the future,’ he said.
“I think Tom Latham was outstanding. We need to take those little good bits and look at someone like Virat (Kohli).”
Ross Taylor has had a forgetful outing not only with his bat but with his fielding as well but Williamson came out in defence of the senior batsman.
“I think if you look at any winning performance, there are one or two significant performances. If you look at the India side, there’s Virat (Kohli). I think pretty much every game he made significant contributions for his side. Sometimes the conditions weren’t ideal to play on but someone has to step up and whoever that person is, we need a lot more,” he said.
Williamson was New Zealand’s top-scorer of the day with 27 before being dismissed by an expansive inside-out shot that triggered the collapse.
“It is a tough one. You feel like it’s a good option to play that shot and if you get out, you question it. Here I am questioning it,” he said.
“For Ross (Taylor) and I to take it deeper, it would’ve been a lot better for our cause. Obviously, it wasn’t happening for us today. We both got dismissed when we needed at least one of us to hang in there and take the game deep.”
He also praised Indian spinner Amit Mishra’s match-winning performance both in the decider and the series.
“To get fifer for any bowler on any surface is a significant performance. He (Mishra) bowled very well today. I think it’s justified in him getting the man-of-the-match and the man-of-the-series. He has been very consistent. We were poor and India were very good,” Williamson signed off.
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Amit Mishra leaves the ground at the end of the fifth ODI. (AP Photo) VISAKHAPATNAM: It’s not easy if one is not an automatic choice in the playing XI but if there is a coach like Anil Kumble who can give a pat on the back during lean phase it becomes easier, feels Amit Mishra, who has been the stand-out bowler in just concluded ODI series with 15 wickets.
ALSO READ: Amit Mishra five-for spins India to series win
Mishra grabbed 5/18 in India’s 190-run rout of New Zealand and earned the Man of the Series award for his consistent performances.
“His (Anil Kumble) mental support is the biggest thing for me. I sat out for the entire Test series but he supported me mentally and told me “don’t worry, your time will come”,” Mishra, said at the post-match media conference.
Mishra also said how Kumble’s invaluable tips helped him.
“Whenever I went to bowl in the nets, he always gave me tips on how to improve your bowling, like the seam position… He told me “you can improve batting also”. He’s always there to rectify your small mistakes,” Mishra explained on Kumble’s role.
Having missed the Test spot to Indian premier spinner R Ashwin, Mishra played all five matches of the ODI series as the offspinner is rested for the ODIs.
“At this stage of career, I have to perform. I am a wicket-taking bowler. It has become a sort of ‘trademark’ that ‘Amit ayega to wicket nikalega’ (Amit will always give a breakthrough),” Mishra who will turn 34 next month, added.
Asked if he regrets about not getting fair share of chances, Mishra’s disappointment was palpable bit he tried to reason it out.
“I have stopped thinking what’s not in my hands. I can improve my fitness, batting but can’t decide on how many matches I’ve played. I’ve prepared myself mentally in such a way that whenever there’s an opportunity I give more than 100 percent.”
“I’m happy for all the hard work I’ve put in. I’ve performed well and became man of the series. It’s the second series where I’ve played five matches continuously. Highest wicket-taker and played five matches. Especially final match. It was a lot of pressure. To perform well here, it feels great.”
India had levelled the series 2-2 in Ranchi as India were under pressure to keep their clean record against New Zealand in an ODI bilateral series.
“The biggest thing was it came in the most important match of the series. Everyone contributed well, be it in batting, bowling or fielding. We’re trying our best on fitness, it all showed today. It’s about performing getting five wickets in the most crucial match and win the series.”
Asked about his recipe for success, he said: “I don’t focus on achievement. I focus on the match ahead. Focus on the match situation, on the match ahead. It adds to pressure if you think on the achievements.”
New Zealand lost eight wickets for 16 runs to be bundled out in 23.1 overs but Mishra said they were not surprised by the visitors’ abject surrender.
“We have done a lot of hard work. We knew if we take one-two wickets, we can bundle them out. Once I started there was a little concern about boundaries but Dhoni told me to bowl normal deliveries. If you get one two wickets, we will be fine’ he told me.”
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