M S-led India don’t (Ki)win

India made no changes to their playing eleven.

On winning the toss, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, India’s skipper, inserted New Zealand.

Lou Vincent, who faced half-a-dozen balls, scored three. A couple of overs into the match, he was caught by Dinesh Karthik. Rudra Pratap Singh broke the 11-run stand.

New Zealand scored 50 off 6.2 overs (40 balls). India had conceded half-a-dozen extras at that point.

The second-wicket pair put on 50 off 33 balls. While Brendon McCullum’s contribution to the partnership was 30, Peter Fulton’s contribution to it was 16. Extras’ contribution to the partnership was four.

Fulton, whose 23-ball innings included a boundary and a six, eventually scored 21. Seven overs later, he was trapped leg before wicket by Harbhajan Singh, who broke the 58-run partnership.

McCullum, whose 31-ball innings included nine boundaries, eventually scored 45. A couple of overs later, he was caught by Gautam Gambhir. Harbhajan broke the 17-run stand.

Ross Taylor, whose nine-ball innings included a six, scored 11. Five balls later, he was trapped leg before wicket by Yuvraj Singh, who broke the three-run stand.

The fifth-wicket pair put on a couple. Scott Styris, who faced four balls, scored a couple. Five balls later, Yuvraj ran him out.

New Zealand scored 100 off 13.3 overs (85 balls). India had conceded 10 extras at that point. That was, incidentally, the number of extras they eventually conceded.

The sixth-wicket pair put on 50 off 24 balls. While Craig McMillan’s contribution to the partnership was 20, Jacob Oram’s contribution to it was 28. Extras’ contribution to the partnership was a couple.

New Zealand scored 150 off 17.1 overs (107 balls).

Oram, whose 15-ball innings included a couple of boundaries and three sixes, eventually scored 35. Thirty-two balls after Styris’ dismissal, he was caught by Rudra Pratap. Sreesanth broke the 73-run partnership.

Daniel Vettori, New Zealand’s skipper and the player of the match, scored 15. His five-ball innings included three boundaries. Rudra Pratap had a reason to be in seventh heaven – he broke the 21-run stand.

The eighth-wicket pair put on four. Shane Bond, who faced a couple of balls, scored four. His runs came by way of a boundary. A couple of balls later, Dhoni and Rudra Pratap ran him out.

The (Dho)ninth-wicket pair put on a run. McMillan, whose 23-ball innings included a boundary and four sixes, eventually scored 44. A couple of balls later, the man from Ranchi ran him out.

Gillespie, who faced a ball, didn’t get off the Mark. He was unbeaten.

The last-wicket pair failed to get off the mark. Jeetan Patel, who faced a ball, didn’t open his account. A ball after McMillan’s dismissal, Dhoni and Rudra Pratap ran him out.

New Zealand were dismissed for 190 off 20 overs. Irfan Pathan, who bowled a couple of overs, conceded 16. He was wicketless, as was Ajit Agarkar, who bowled four overs, conceded 40.

Yuvraj and Sreesanth bowled three overs each, picking up a wicket apiece. While the former conceded 38, the latter conceded 37. Rudra Pratap and Harbhajan bowled four overs each, picking up a couple of scalps apiece. While the former conceded 29, the latter conceded 24.

India’s openers put on 50 off 4.1 overs (27 balls). New Zealand had conceded a couple of extras at that point. While Sehwag was batting on 28, Gambhir was batting on 21.

Sehwag, whose 17-ball innings included half-a-dozen boundaries and a couple of sixes, eventually scored 40. Thirty-five balls into the match, he was caught by Styris. Oram broke the 76-run partnership.

Robin Uthappa, who faced a couple of balls, didn’t open his account. Four balls later, he was caught by Vettori, who broke the one-run stand.

India scored 100 off 10.2 overs (64 balls). New Zealand had conceded a couple of extras at that point.

Gambhir’s half-century – which included five boundaries and a couple of sixes – came off 31 balls. He eventually scored 33 balls, scoring 51. Twenty-six balls later, he was caught by McCullum. Vettori broke the 27-run stand.

Yuvraj had no reason to be in seventh heaven – he scored five. Eleven balls later, he was caught by Taylor. Patel broke the 12-run stand.

The fifth-wicket pair put on a dozen. Dhoni, whose 20-ball innings included a couple of boundaries, scored 24. Seven balls later, Vettori and Styris ran him out.

Pathan, whose 10-ball innings included a couple of boundaries, scored 11. Fifteen balls later, Vettori broke the 18-run stand.

India scored 150 off 16.5 overs (103 balls). New Zealand had conceded a couple of extras at that point.

Karthik, whose 12-ball innings included three boundaries, scored 17. Four balls after Pathan’s dismissal, he was caught by Bond. Vettori broke the five-run stand.

The eighth-wicket pair put on a run. Agarkar, who faced a couple of balls, scored a run. A couple of balls later, Vincent ran him out.

Although his six-ball innings included a boundary, Harbhajan had no reason to be in seventh heaven – eight balls later, he was caught by Vettori. Bond broke the 11-run stand.

Sreesanth, whose innings included four boundaries, scored 19. He was unbea‘ten’. Rudra Pratap, who faced a ball, scored a run. He was unbeaten.

New Zealand eventually conceded four boundaries. India, who scored 180 for the loss of nine wickets off 20 overs, lost by 10 runs. Styris bowled three overs, conceding 25. He was wicketless, as was Gillespie, who bowled four overs, conceding 42.

Oram, who bowled two overs, conceded 14. He picked up a wicket. Patel, who bowled three overs, conceded 38. He picked up a wicket. Bond, who bowled four overs, conceded 39. He picked up a wicket. Vettori, who bowled four overs, conceded 20. He picked up four scalps.