[1]Jaipur, Nov. 30: There is a relaxed feel about the India-New Zealand one-day series with both sides looking to fine-tune their options ahead of more important assignments like the 2011 cricket World Cup. India have drawn first blood and will look to double their lead against a struggling Kiwi one-day outfit at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium here on Wednesday.
A 40-run victory in the first ODI in Guwahati might look convincing on paper but India struggled to finish the Kiwis off after having them on the mat at 169/8. Skipper Gautam Gambhir will also be concerned about the fact that the batsmen failed to bat out the 50 overs on a good batting track in Guwahati.
All the top six Indian batsmen got off to starts but it was Virat Kohli who went beyond a half-century. Kohli has been in scintillating form throughout the year, notching up 866 runs at an average of 48.11 with three centuries — the last two in successive matches. The Delhi batsman would be keen complete the hat-trick in Jaipur and make it tough for the selectors to drop him when the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and M.S. Dhoni return.
The others like opener Murali Vijay, Yuvraj Singh and Yusuf Pathan will do well to follow Kohli’s example and make the most of the struggling Black Caps bowling unit on a flat track.
The bowling attack will be put to the test with dew expected to play a major role in the match. If the toss of the coin doesn’t go India’s way, a wet ball could make life tough for the likes of off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin and part-timers Yuvraj and Pathan. The Kiwis have been on a downward spiral in the shorter format of the game since the tour of Bangladesh, where they lost the series 4-0. The visitors led by left-arm paceman Andy McKay did well to restrict India to 276 and Ross Taylor’s 66 kept them in the hunt.
Links:
[1] http://archive.asianage.com/hosts-look-extend-lead-011210jpg-222