Subhash Rajta
Tribune News Service
Mohali, October 23
India beat New Zealand by seven wickets here today to go 2-1 up in the five-match series. New Zealand posted a challenging 285, but India chased it down in 48.2 overs with Virat Kohli (154*) and Manish Pandey (28*) guiding them home.
Will this game be remembered as the one that gave a new lease of life to MS Dhoni’s plunging career? It looks possible, for it has been a long time since the Indian skipper scored as many runs (80) and looked as dominant and as much he did here on Sunday. For those looking for something more tangible to agree, here’s a clinching piece of evidence — the skipper looked as dominant as much in control as Kohli during their 151-run partnership!
Dhoni comes in at No. 4
More than the runs, perhaps, it was the manner he got them in that raises the hopes of a Dhoni comeback. Striding in at No. 4, the skipper, after his usual nudges and pushes in initially, looked solid and decisive, his strokes teeming with raw power and timing, and his footwork decisive against both spin and pace. It was a delight to see him step out and smash three sixes, two of Mitchell Santner and one off Jimmy Neesham, straight over the bowler’s head. For the record, he also became the fifth Indian batsman and third wicketkeeper-batsman to reach the 9,000-run mark. Besides, he also broke the Indian record for most sixes in ODIs, surpassing Sachin Tendulkar's mark of 195.
Drop Kohli, drop the match
There’s one thing India’s opponents just can’t do these days — drop Kohli. New Zealand made the mistake, and it proved fatal for them. Ross Taylor grassed a straightforward offering from the Indian off Matt Henry when he had scored just six runs. After that reprieve, Kohli went on to score 148 runs more. Needless to say India would have found it much harder to win the game if Taylor had held on to what was a golden chance. Kohli’s hundred, his 26th overall and 16th while chasing, is another evidence of his superb chasing abilities. For a batter perspective, here’s a piece of stat — he’s just one short of Tendulkar’s record of 17 hundreds while chasing. There’s, however, one glaring difference — while Tendulkar got his 17 in 232 innings, Kohli has hit 16 in just 94 innings. And the best part of his knock was that he ensured he was there till the end to guide India home with a flurry of boundaries. The packed house, which shouted their lungs out for Kohli and Dhoni, couldn’t have asked for better entertainment. They must have left the stadium wondering about Kohli’s amazing run and sublime skills, and hoping for Dhoni to keep playing the way he did here tonight.
Steady Latham
It’s not easy to ignore opener Tom Latham, New Zealand’s most consistent batsman on the tour. The spectators train their eyes on the other end, anticipating more action there. They know it well by now that Latham would still be there in case they want to have a look at him later on. And again, they were proved right. After Guptill entertained them with a couple of power hits, Kane Williamson with a few deft touches and Ross Taylor with an aggressive 44, Latham, with his workmanlike method, was still around, having scored another half-century.
Surgical strike
The Indians, perhaps, got into a celebratory mode once they reduced the Kiwis to 199/8. The Kiwis, they must have thought, can’t set them a target beyond 220. Well, they were soon proved wrong, with Jimmy Neesham and Matt Henry gathering 84 runs for the ninth wicket. The duo chose Umesh Yadav for some special treatment as they took New Zealand to a competitive total.
Lucky Jadhav, brilliant Mishra
Quite surprisingly, Kedar Jadhav emerged as the most successful Indian bowler with three wickets in five overs. To be fair, the Kiwis sort of gifted their wickets to him, rather than he earning them. Williamson missed a straight one from him to be LBW, Corey Anderson offered a simple catch on a full toss and Tom Latham, too, played a loose shot to a fielder at covers. Amit Mishra, though, was brilliant — his dismissals of Ross Taylor and Luke Ronchi, stumped by Dhoni — were a delight to watch.
SCOREBOARD
New Zealand
M Guptill lbw Yadav 27
T Latham c Pandya b Jadhav 61
K Williamson lbw b Jadhav 22
R Taylor st Dhoni b Mishra 44
C Anderson c Rahane b Jadhav 6
L Ronchi st Dhoni b Mishra 1
J Neesham c Jadhav b Yadav 57
M Santner c Kohli b Bumrah 7
T Southee b Yadav 13
M Henry not out 39
T Boult b Bumrah 1
Extras: (w-7) 7
Total (all out in 49.4 overs) 285
FOW:-1-46 2-80 3-153 4-160 5-161 6-169 7-180 8-199 9-283
Bowling
U Yadav 10-0-75-3
H Pandya 5-0-34-0
J Bumrah 9.4-0-52-2
K Jadhav 5-0-29-3
A Patel 10-0-49-0
A Mishra 10-0-46-2
India
R Sharma lbw b Southee 13
A Rahane c Santner b Henry 5
V Kohli not out 154
M Dhoni c R Taylor b Henry 80
M Pandey not out 28
Extras: (b 0, lb 2, w 7, nb 0, p 0) 9
Total (3 wickets in in 48.2 overs) 289
FOW:-13-1 41-2 192-3
Bowling
M Henry 9.2-0-56-2
T Boult 10-0-73-0
T Southee 10-0-55-1
M Santner 10-0-43-0
J Neesham 9-0-60-0