Another sunny day, and another cracking match at the Wanderers. India and New Zealand made sure the Super Eight stage of the ICC World Twenty20 got off to a thrilling start with a match that went right down to the wire in Johannesburg. In a match that really could have gone either way, it was the New Zealanders who emerged victorious, winning by 10 runs.
Having won the toss and sent New Zealand in to bat, India struck early when they sent Lou Vincent packing with only 11 runs on the board.But a solid 45 off 31 balls from fellow opener Brendon McCullum meant the New Zealanders got back on track. He notched up a 50-run partnership with Peter Fulton and another vital 50-run partnership further down the order between Craig McMillan and Jacob Oram saw the Black Caps reaching a significantly improved total of 190 (compared with their disappointing 164 against Sri Lanka on Saturday), their last wicket falling off the final ball of the innings.
In fact, some impressive fielding from the Indians saw New Zealand losing captain Daniel Vettori, Shane Bond, McMillan and Jeetan Patel (three of them run out) in the final over, which could otherwise have seen them eclipsing the 200-run mark.Harbhajan Singh was particularly impressive on the bowling front, conceding just 24 runs off his four overs and taking the vital wickets of McCullum (caught by Gambhir) and Fulton (LBW).
India then got off to a great start, putting on 76 runs before Virendar Sehwag was caught by Scott Styris off Oram for 40. His replacement Robin Uthappa went the very next over without scoring but Gambhir stuck it out, reaching his 50 before succumbing to Vettori for 51. At this stage, on 104-3 in the 11th over, it seemed India were in control but the wickets fell with increasing regularity after that. Vettori was in particularly devastating form as his side staged a determined fight-back, eventually finishing with figures of 4-20 off his four overs.
Set with a target of 33 off the final two overs and with just two wickets in hand, the numerous Indian fans in the stadium endured a nerve-wracking few minutes.Singh tried to speed things up with a big one but sent it straight up and eventually into the hands of Vettori, meaning the Indians needed 23 off the final over, which was bowled by Mark Gillespie, with just one wicket in hand.But the target proved just out of reach for the Indians, who eventually went down by 10 runs.
Earlier, Opener Brendon McCullum gave the initial thrust to his team - scoring a quickfire 45 from just 31 balls, until Harbhajan Singh put the brakes on New Zealand's quick scoring. India will chase a daunting task of scoring 191 – it will be the second most succesful chase of the tournament, if it happens. The best chase was by South Africa in the first match against the West Indies.
A late flourish from Oram (35) and McMillan (44) ensured New Zealand compiled a challenging total of 190 – eventually bowled out. RP Singh (2/29) and Harbhajan (2/24) were India’s best bowlers.
Jacob Oram's cameo innings included three sixes and two fours – he scored 35 runs from just 15 balls. New Zealand were in totters at 91/5 when the tall left-handed all-rounder came to the crease. Oram and McMillan put on a stand out partnership of 73 runs.
Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni won the toss in Johannesburg and elected to field first in the all important crunch game against New Zealand. The Subcontinent have retained the same XI which participated in the thriller against Paksitan.
Daniel Vettori and his team made just one change to the lineup - Off spinner Jeetan Patel replaced fast bowler Chris Martin.
India team
V Sehwag, G Gambhir, RV Uthappa, MS Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh, KD Karthik, Harbhajan Singh, IK Pathan, AB Agarkar, S Sreesanth, RP Singh
New Zealand team
BB McCullum, L Vincent, PG Fulton, RL Taylor, SB Styris, JDP Oram, CD McMillan, DL Vettori, SE Bond, MR Gillespie, JS Patel
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