India were left facing their fifth straight chase of around 300 starting
with the tour of South Africa. Except that this time they needed to do
it in 42 overs. Rain interrupted New Zealand's innings at 167 for 2
after 33.2 overs, after which Ross Taylor and Corey Anderson went
berserk to take New Zealand to 271 in 42 overs despite a late comeback
by India that meant just 23 runs for four wickets in the last 3.2 overs.
New Zealand were headed for a 300-plus target anyway with their top
order flogging a listless attack on a small and quick outfield that
countered the slowness of the surface. Like in the first game, Kane
Williamson and Ross Taylor scored fifties before Corey Anderson caned
some length bowling at the end. It could have been much worse for India,
who were unchanged despite the persistent failures of Suresh Raina and
Ishant Sharma, had the slowness of the pitch not got rid of a rampaging
Jesse Ryder at the top. Despite that early loss and a slow start from
Martin Guptill - who faced 25 dot balls in the first 10 overs - New
Zealand managed to keep the run rate up through an 89-run stand in 15.3
overs between Guptill and Williamson.
One of these days Ryder will convert a start, and set a target of close
to 400. Once again he looked in golden touch, square-driving and
cover-driving any bit of width he got from India's new-ball bowlers.
However, when trying to upper-cut Mohammed Shami, he was done in by the
slow and low bounce, and ended up bottom-edging it to MS Dhoni. Guptill
was only 4 off 21 when Ryder fell at the team score of 25 in the sixth
over.
It was imperative Guptill be given some time to come out of this patch
with the extreme pressure of scoring runs, and Kane Williamson did just
that. He pulled and punched with ease, and Guptill too began to time his
shots better. He was helped along the way by an off-rhythm Ishant, who
began with a leg-side half-volley and followed it up with a wide. The
last ball of his third over angled into the pads, and Guptill played his
famous lofted drive, where he looks down at the pitch, where the ball
used to be, and not at where it sails off. This one sailed over long-on
for six, taking him to 28 off 42, and New Zealand to 70 for 1 after 13
overs.
By that time, without any fuss, Williamson had reached 20 off 25, and
hit Ravindra Jadeja either side of point to make it 28 off 28 in the
14th over. Now it looked all too easy for Guptill and Williamson with
India having to resort to part-time bowlers. Virat Kohli went for runs,
Suresh Raina was going for a few too until Guptill, who had scored 40
off his last 44 deliveries, tried too ambitious a shot - something
between a sweep and a pull - and top-edged him to short fine leg.
Williamson and Taylor were setting New Zealand up for a big finish when
rain came down and cost the match 16 overs. After the rain, Williamson
fell trying to go inside-out for 77 off 87, which wasn't exactly bad
news for New Zealand. He had batted superbly, playing out few dot balls
and going at a good strike rate without any violent hits, but now was
time for some violence. And violence there was when Anderson and Taylor
came together for a 74-run partnership in 4.4 overs. Anderson scored 44
off those in 17 balls, Taylor wasn't half bad in taking 26 off 11 during
that stand.
Every bowler got the stick as Dhoni couldn't even get one of them to
bowl two in a row until Shami bowled the 40th and the 42nd. A good catch
by Shikhar Dhawan at long-on followed by clever changes of pace by
Shami slowed New Zealand down, but India were still staring at a huge
target
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