Bowlers shine but poor batting costs India T20 series
ROHIT HAS MOST T20 RUNS, FIFTIES
We’ve got quality in our side but we didn’t execute our plans in the first game. We learned from our mistakes and we got the reward for it.
ROHIT SHARMA, India captain
AUCKLAND: Rohit Sharma became the highest run scorer in T20 international history Friday as India romped to a seven-wicket win over New Zealand in the second T20 in Auckland.
This was India’s first T20 win in New Zealand in four attempts. They had previously lost both T20IS played in 2009.
Sharma top-scored for the tourists with 50 as India chased down New Zealand’s modest 159run target in 18.5 overs, levelling the three-match series at 1-1.
Sharma’s knock was his 16th T20 half century and took his career tally in the format to 2,288 runs, overtaking New Zealand’s Martin Guptill on 2,272. The Kiwi opener is sidelined for the series due to injury.
Rohit made his T20 debut against England in 2007 and has played 92 matches, averaging 33.15. However , India’s stand-in skipper was more interested in focusing on India’s performance. His team dominated New Zealand with bat and ball to avenge an 80-run loss in the opening fixture in Wellington — India’s heaviest ever T20 defeat. “I’m very pleased with how we bowled and then we were quite clinical with the bat as well,” he said.
“We were expecting a performance like that, we’ve got quality in our side but we didn’t execute our plans in the first game. We learned from our mistakes and we got the reward for it.”
India’s bowling attack was much improved and man-of-thematch Krunal Pandya took three for 28 as they restricted New Zealand to 158 for eight.
Colin de Grandhomme gave Extras Total FOW:
Bowling: 92 76 111 65 71 the Black Caps some hope, hitting a maiden T20 half century off 27 balls as part of a 77-run partnership with Ross Taylor, who made 42. There was some controversy when Daryl Mitchell (1) fell prey to an umpiring howler, when ‘Hotspot’ showed a clear inside edge onto the pads.
But the hosts could not break the shackles and tight bowling at the end of the innings prevented them from taking advantage of Eden Park’s short boundaries.
“We perhaps missed a trick or two with the bat,” New Zealand captain Kane Williamson said after his team laboured to 158 for eight in their 20 overs.
Whereas India had no such problem in reply, making a flying start with Sharma leading the way. His 50 — part of a 79-run opening stand with Shikhar Dhawan — included four sixes and three fours off 28 balls.
Dhawan made 30, Rishabh Pant 40 and MS Dhoni brought the crowd to its feet with an entertaining cameo of 20 as India made 162 for three without looking troubled.
“That opening partnership for India really took the game away from us,” Williamson said.
The final match of the series will be played in Hamilton on Sunday. MS Dhoni not out
Extras (b 2, lb 1, w 5)
Total (for 3 wkts; 18.5 overs) FOW: 1-79, 2-88, 3-118 Bowling: T Southee 4-0-34-0, S Kuggeleijn 3.5-0-32-0, L Ferguson 4-0-31-1, M Santner 2-0-16-0, I Sodhi 4-0-31-1, D Mitchell 1-0-15-1 AUCKLAND: R Sharma C Munro (India) (New Zealand) B Mccullum
(New Zealand) C Gayle
West Indies
M Guptill (New Zealand) R Sharma V Kohli M Guptill C Gayle B Mccullum AUCKLAND: A shoddy batting performance by the middle order saw India women lose a nail-biting second T20 against New Zealand by four wickets and concede the three-match series here on Friday.
India had earlier lost the first T20 by 23 runs in Wellington. Needing a win to keep the series alive, India posted a modest 135 for 6 despite being 72 for 2 after the first 10 overs. Chasing a modest target, New Zealand made heavy weather of the chase before scampering home off the last ball, losing six wickets.
“We should give credit to our bowlers, it wasn’t a good total but still they fought for us. We were 20 runs short, They played better cricket than us. We just need to learn from our mistakes and play better,” India skipper Harmanpreet Kaur said after the match. Jemimah Rodrigues slammed a 53-ball 72 that included six boundaries and one six but India scored only 63 runs in the back 10 to end up 20 runs short, which became their undoing. The White Ferns lost two quick wickets -- opener Sophie Devine (19) and Caitlin Gurrey (4) by the seventh over with the scoreboard reading 40.
CRUCIAL STAND
But then Suzie Bates (62) and Amy Satterthwaite (23) joined hands and the duo stitched 61 runs for the third wicket to get New Zealand women back into the track.
Left-arm orthodox bowler Radha Yadav (2/23) and medium pacer Arundhati Reddy (2/22) bowler well for India in the middle overs to take the match down to the wire.
Reddy, in fact, brought India back into the match with twin blows in the 18th over -- first dismissing a set Bates and then accounting for Anna Peterson for a first ball duck.
New Zealand needed nine runs off the last over and Katey Martin smacked Mansi Joshi for a boundary off the first ball to bring down the equation to five off five.
Joshi, however, got her revenge by getting through the defence of Martin in the next ball.
But it was not to be India’s day as some sloppy fielding and sensible batting by Hannah Rowe and Leigh Kasperek took New Zealand home.
“We probably should have done that lot easier than what we did. But I am happy. Feels like it’s been a while since we won a series,” New Zealand captain Amy Satherwaite said.
Brief scores: India 136/6 (J Rodrigues 72, S Mandhana 36; R Mair 2/17) lost to New Zealand 136/6 (S Bates 62, A Satterthwaite 23, S Devine 19; A Reddy 2/22) by 4 wickets.
MINI WOMEN’S T20 EVENT DURING IPL
NEW DELHI: After staging a lone exhibition tie before last year’s IPL qualifier, the BCCI is planning a minor expansion of women’s T20 matches during the coming IPL season. It could be two teams playing three games or a three-team affair lasting just over a week.
However, a full-fledged women’s IPL on the lines of the Women’s Big Bash League in Australia or the Super League in England is a long way off as BCCI finds it difficult to get good investors or bidders for teams, according to a cricket official.
The BCCI wants to scale it up and set the ball rolling for a women’s IPL in a few years.
“The women’s T20 matches will be held this year also. It will be (over) a week to 10 days during IPL. Once BCCI gets clearance from the Election Commission and Home Ministry on dates (IPL schedule), the itinerary will be fixed,” a senior board official told PTI on condition of anonymity.