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Match facts

Monday, April 21, 2008
Start time 20:00 local time (14:30 GMT)

The Big Picture

Kings XI Punjab and the Rajasthan Royals are both looking to open their account in the IPL after coming up second-best in Saturday’s matches. Punjab were undone at home by the brilliance of Michael Hussey but their abundance of riches means they are overwhelming favourites to win in Jaipur. Rajasthan, on the other hand, are enduring a frustrating wait for five of their foreign recruits. To add to their problems their less established players are not showing the mettle required to survive in this cut-throat competition, as was evident during their nine-wicket thrashing by the Delhi Daredevils.With this being the first IPL match on a weekday, after Friday night’s opener, the size of the crowd will perhaps indicate whether the tournament has truly captured the imagination.

Watch out for …

… Punjab taking the early running, regardless of the outcome of the toss. If they bat first , they have the versatile James Hopes to give their innings a lift-off. With Kumar Sangakkara slated to walk in at No. 3, and captain Yuvraj Singh to follow, Rajasthan’s boundary riders are in for some hard work. Punjab’s opening bowlers, Brett Lee and Sreesanth, did not pose too many problems for the Chennai Super Kings, but they will be an entirely different proposition for Rajasthan. With Hopes and Irfan Pathan to follow-up, the going might just get tougher. An intriguing sub-plot to the contest will be a potential face-off between Irfan and his half-brother Yusuf, an aggressive presence in Rajasthan’s top order.Meanwhile, Rajasthan will be eager to prove the critics wrong. They will be looking to Shane Watson and Darren Lehmann, and to Ravindra Jadeja and Dinesh Salunke, both of whom gave a good account of themselves in Delhi, to bring out the big hits. Mohammad Kaif may be a livewire in the field, but he needs to come good with the bat to have a real impact on the contest. Not many players will be queueing up to take the place of seamers Munaf Patel and Siddharth Trivedi, both of whom face a huge test with the ball.

Team news

Punjab’s line-up looks pretty settled and the only question of interest will be whether Mahela Jayawardene gets a game. With each team having a cap on four foreign players, the axe could fall on Simon Katich. Ramesh Powar may replace seamer Wilkin Mota if there is something in the pitch for the spinners, and Pankaj Dharmani can consider himself unfortunate if he misses out as he is yet to bat.Punjab (probable) 1 Karan Goel 2 James Hopes 3 Kumar Sangakkara (wk) 4 Yuvraj Singh (capt) 5 Mahela Jayawardene/Simon Katich 6 Irfan Pathan 7 Pankaj Dharmani 8 Brettt Lee 9 Piyush Chawla 10 Wilkin Mota/Ramesh Powar 11 Sreesanth.Rajasthan, more due to circumstance than choice, will be forced to retain most of the team that played in Delhi. Graeme Smith may not be back from South Africa in time for the encounter, while Dimitri Mascarenhas, the England allrounder, will only be with the team for two weeks starting as late as May 12. The Pakistan trio – Younis Khan, Kamran Akmal, and Sohail Tanvir, will fly to India on the day of the match after completing their Twenty20 international against Bangladesh on Sunday, and it is highly unlikely that any of them will play.The home side struggled to get a move on at the beginning of their innings in the first match, and may draft in Niraj Patel, who averages 50 at a strike-rate of 132.74 from eight domestic Twenty20s, in place of Taruwar Kohli. Jaydev Shah possesses an equally impressive strike-rate of 159.25 in four matches, and he also may get a look-in.Rajasthan (probable) 1 Niraj Patel 2 Yusuf Pathan 3 Shane Watson 4 Mohammad Kaif 5 Darren Lehmann 6 Ravindra Jadeja 7 Mahesh Rawat (wk) 8 Dinesh Salunkhe 9 Shane Warne (capt) 10 Siddharth Trivedi 11 Munaf Patel.

Stats and trivia

Another week, another round of rain-ruined Championship matches, but there was one result in a match featuring one or more Australians, Jason Gillespie playing a useful part in Glamorgan’s first victory this season.Gillespie scooped 3 for 39 from 18 overs to knock Gloucestershire over for 200 and complete the 114-run win at Bristol, all three victims trapped leg-before. He dismissed the opener Craig Spearman for 7, then returned to collect crucial lower-order wickets to earn victory. His fellow Australian Marcus North made a duck, claimed by Alex Wharf.Gillespie’s 16 not out had pushed his side towards 277 all out in the first innings, then he took 1 for 21 from ten overs in the first innings – his wicket North, for 37 – before Gloucestershire declared. Glamorgan also declared their second innings on 178, leaving an unlikely chase of 315.Steve Magoffin claimed useful wickets again in a hopeless cause as rain affected yet another Worcestershire outing, this time against Northamptonshire in Northampton. Magoffin took 4 for 49 in the first innings, 3 for 93 in the second, to continue to prove his worth as Doug Bollinger’s replacement.Murray Goodwin was the stand-out performer in the first division, although his 98 was part of an inevitable draw for Sussex with Surrey after a first-day washout in Hove. A graceful Goodwin sliced up a feast of wayward offerings with some choice cuts, before his dreams of a 54th first-class hundred were dashed by a feather off Matthew Nicholson, the Australian fast bowler’s only wicket of the innings.Adam Voges’ failure on 6, caught behind off Morne Morkel, was of little consequence as Nottinghamshire drew with Yorkshire in a rainy draw at Headingley.In the one-day league, however, Voges’ unbeaten 42 from 40 balls helped leaders Nottinghamshire ease to their Duckworth-Lewis target of 143, completing the job with two of the 30 overs remaining against Northamptonshire at Trent Bridge in the Midlands Division. Voges continues to make an impact in his first county season. Darren Pattinson, the Victorian fast bowler, picked up 3 for 39 from ten overs in his first one-day match for Nottinghamshire as the visitors struggled to support Stephen Peters, who made 90.Nicholson returned the best figures for Surrey’s attack against Middlesex at Lord’s, grabbing 3 for 37, all from catches. Nicholson found some good swing to remove the useful Eoin Morgan for 16 and then found two edges to remove the topscorer Gareth Berg for 65 and Vernon Philander for 26 to curtail Middlesex’s charge at 233. Surrey hunted down the runs with three overs left, their first win of this South East campaign and Middlesex’s first loss.Sean Ervine was dumped by Western Australia last week, but he had a small part in Hampshire’s Duckworth-Lewis win against Gloucestershire at the Rose Bowl in the South/West division. He bowled the centurion Alex Gidman, returning 1 for 51 from 8 overs and took two catches, including removing North for 85 as Gloucestershire amassed 350. While Ervine could only muster 15 in reply – North getting his revenge with the scalp – his side won by 5 runs, hunting down a whopping 240 just within their 30 available overs. It was their first win of the tournament.Justin Langer’s fall for 7 kiboshed Somerset’s hopes of victory in Taunton, coming up 20 runs short in their chase of an ominous 222 against Glamorgan. Gillespie’s nine overs were wicketless, but they were crucially economical, costing 33 runs. Goodwin also failed, making 5 for Sussex at Hove, as Kent overhauled their 245 with one ball remaining.

Two teams with little in common are meeting at crossroads, one side coming to an end of a successful period, the other beginning a long journey. Contests between South Africa and Bangladesh in any format – save their World Cup meeting in 2007 – have not been much of a contest, but the home team’s improvement will ensure the visitors are anything but complacent.Bangladesh have had few breaks while playing four series and a World Cupin the last 12 months, and these two Twenty20 internationals, three ODIs and two Tests against South Africa will end their 2014-15 and 2015 seasons, which merged into one vast period. They have two months off before hosting Australia in October.South Africa, on the other hand, are touring Bangladesh for their first international assignment since losing the World Cup semi-final to New Zealand in March. Having had three months off, they begin with Bangladesh, before playing New Zealand at home, India away and England at home, before returning to India for the World T20 in March 2016. Between now and February, South Africa play 12 Tests, 16 ODIs and nine T20 internationals.No wonder then that Dale Steyn thought his energy would be better spent elsewhere than in Bangladesh, but since the team arrived in Dhaka last week, his team-mates Faf du Plessis and JP Duminy have given their opponents’ current form due credit. Having had success in the subcontinent previously, South Africa are not the type to go easy on any opponent, and Bangladesh’s victories over Pakistan and India would have hardened that approach.Apart from a host brimming with confidence, South Africa will also have to contend with the heat and humidity of the Bangladesh summer, and Duminy said how well they take care of themselves physically could be critical to success. The T20Is start at 1300 local time.South Africa are missing Steyn, Vernon Philander, Morne Morkel and Imran Tahir for the T20Is, and will test an emerging attack comprising Kyle Abbott, David Wiese, Kagiso Rabada, Eddie Leie and Beuran Hendricks, along side Wayne Parnell. Steyn will play only the Tests, while AB de Villiers will play the T20s and ODIs before going on paternity leave.They will be expected to dominate Bangladesh nonetheless, and unless there is an upset, the results are likely to receive a low-key response back in South Africa.In Dhaka and Chittagong, though, interest in cricket – call it madness or frenzy too – is at an all-time high. It has peaked after the 2-1 victory in the ODIs against India, as evidenced by the rush for free seats during South Africa’s warm-up match against a BCB XI in Fatullah. Bangladesh’s fans will do anything to get a glimpse.The captain Mashrafe Mortaza and coach Chandika Hathurusingha have said that South Africa are likely to be tougher than Pakistan and India, not only because of their formidable away record, but also because Bangladesh are coming to the end of a long season.The two Twenty20 internationals are the start of both sides build-ups to the 2016 World T20, and the ODIs that follow are of special importance to Bangladesh. They are all but through to the 2017 Champions Trophy, but one victory against South Africa will cast their qualification in stone.The T20 and ODI series will also be the first under the ICC’s new playing conditions for limited-overs games – no mandatory catchers in the first ten overs of an ODI, no batting Powerplay, five fielders allowed outside the 30-yard circle in the last ten overs of an ODI, and free-hits for all kinds of no-balls. Bangladesh have expressed happiness with many of these changes, and it remains to be seen how the teams adjust to them.

With India-Pakistan cricketing ties currently in limbo, former Pakistan captain Imran Khan has asserted that stopping cricket is not the answer to combating terrorism. Imran, who is currently in India attending , a news conclave, said he had raised the issue with Indian prime minister Narendra Modi, and was hoping for a positive response.”Stopping cricket is not an answer to terrorism. You don’t boycott a society on the basis of few sick men,” Imran said. “I supported the ban on South Africa once, but that was due to their stance on apartheid and that was a human rights violation. But other than that I believe sport should carry on.”It is a matter of a lifelong relationship. People to people contact is necessary to build ties. Sachin [Tendulkar] is loved in Pakistan as a Wasim [Akram] is loved in India.”On his meeting with Modi, Imran said: “I told Modi that cricket should happen. Modiji smiled at that question and I couldn’t decipher whether it was a ‘yes’ or ‘no’. But I am a positive person and would take that positively.”We are the first generation of partition children, so we had heard a lot of hate stories. And people like us were on each side of the country. But when I toured India as a cricketer, I realised that we are the same people, who listen to the same songs and have the same tastes. There is consensus in Pakistan against terror. So we should look to bridge gaps not create distances.”Former India captain Kapil Dev, who was sharing the stage with Imran, was however more guarded in his stance on India-Pakistan ties.”Players have no problem in playing against each other, but you can’t go against government policy,” he said. “Boards certainly want to play, but Imran, Kapil and Sachin’s views do not matter. It is the government’s decision which finally counts.”

New Zealand pacer Tim Southee has sustained an injury to his left foot during the third ODI against Sri Lanka in Nelson on Thursday, a release from New Zealand Cricket said. Matt Henry will replace him in the squad for the fourth ODI on January 2.Southee, who will leave the squad for further evaluation, bowled six overs for 44 runs before hobbling off the field in Nelson. New Zealand coach Mike Hesson said the team management was unsure of the nature of the injury at that point.Henry, incidentally, stood in for Southee when the latter was rested for the first two matches of the five-ODI series. Henry took four-fors in both ODIs in Christchurch, playing a key role in helping New Zealand establish an early lead in the five-match series.”Tim felt pain in his left foot early in the second innings and was forced to come off,” Hesson said. “We’re not sure of the nature of the injury at this point and will need to find out more information over the coming days.”Matt comes back into the squad having performed strongly in the opening two ODIs, so we know he’ll join us in good form.”The Nelson match was Southee’s first ODI since June as the bowler was rested for the limited-overs tour to South Africa and Zimbabwe in August. He suffered from an irritated disc in his back during the first Test against Australia in Brisbane, but subsequently regained his fitness to play the remaining two matches in Perth and Adelaide. With 13 wickets in two matches, Southee had finished as the top wicket-taker in the Test series against Sri Lanka that preceded the ODIs.The last two ODIs of the series will be played on January 2 and January 5 in Nelson and Mount Maunganui, respectively.

India have picked seamer Mohammed Shami for the World T20 and Asia Cup. Shami came back from Australia with a hamstring injury, and has not played for India since the 2015 World Cup. Virat Kohli, who has been rested for the three T20Is against Sri Lanka, also came back duly, replacing Manish Pandey in the 15-man squad. Shami took Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s place.

India T20 squad for World T20 and Asia Cup

MS Dhoni (capt. & wk), Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Ashish Nehra, Harbhajan Singh, Mohammed Shami, Pawan Negi.
In: Virat Kohli, Mohammed Shami
Out: Manish Pandey, Bhuvneshwar Kumar

The selection of Shami was a calculated risk. He had not proved his match fitness at the time of the announcement, on February 5. India’s first match in the World T20 is on March 15, against New Zealand. The advantage with Shami is that from now we have 30 days before we start the World T20,” chairman of selectors Sandeep Patil said. “Also we have the Asia Cup. So we have good time for making a call on Shami. He has been one of our best bowlers. He has recovered, he has started bowling. That’s what I can say at the moment.”Apart from the XI that beat Australia 3-0 in the T20I series in Australia, India selected Ajinkya Rahane, Shami, Harbhajan Singh and left-arm spinner Pawan Negi. The uncapped Negi is the only left-field selection in the squad. He used to play for Chennai Super Kings, and represents Delhi in domestic cricket. He bowls quick left-arm spin, and is a big hitter down the order.In a press conference in Australia, Dhoni had said the four players outside the XI should be able to fit in more than one slot should a need arise. Negi can do that: on a turning pitch he can play the role Hardik Pandya did, and he can also replace Ravindra Jadeja as the specialist spinner.Rahane, who used to open for Rajasthan Royals, can slot in at the top of order should Shikhar Dhawan, who has not scored an international half-century and strikes at 120 per 100 balls in all T20 cricket, fail. Rahane can also play a role in the middle order if required.Dhoni had also said that Harbhajan would play if the opposition has many left-hand batsmen. It is Harbhajan’s experience and hitting ability down the order that come in handy, according to Dhoni.The big change from India’s last WorldT20 squad was the absence of legspinner Amit Mishra, who was India’s second-highest wicket-taker. While he has come back into the Test team since then, he has not played a Twenty20 for India.

Mohammad Hafeez will not be allowed to bowl in the Pakistan Super League, after the league decided to follow the ICC standards on playing conditions. Even though the PSL is a domestic tournament, Hafeez, who is currently serving a 12-month bowling ban, cannot apply for a reassessment of his action until his suspension ends.According to the ICC policy, any player who is banned from bowling in internationals is allowed to bowl in domestic competitions, provided he has the consent of his home board, and remains under observation. Though Hafeez continued to bowl regularly in domestic cricket after his ban, the PSL has decided to stick with the ICC’s ruling.”The rules we are following are from the highest standard and we decided to stick with the ICC’s ruling against any player,” the PSL management told ESPNcricinfo. “We understand that Mohammad Hafeez is presently banned and we will endorse the ICC’s decision and carry it in the league.”On the draft day before the players were picked, we were intimated that Hafeez was named as a batsman only as his bowling action was banned by the ICC. We are sticking with that. The team who picked him agreed before hand they were taking him only as a batsman. The rules were already cleared before the final pick and it was mutually agreed.”Hafeez’s bowling action was reported during the final of the Quaid-e-Azam trophy between SNGPL and United Bank Limited in Karachi, with several of his deliveries suspected to be beyond the 15-degree limit. The case was instantly sent to the PCB’s illegal technical committee headed by Ali Zia. According the PCB policy, Hafeez then had to undergo remedial work on his action to convince the committee that he could be allowed to bowl in the tournament again.Hafeez, 35, had undergone testing at an ICC-accredited lab in Chennai on July 6 last year, after his action was reported following the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle in June. The tests revealed that his action exceeded the permitted 15-degree limit. He had earlier been reported for a suspect action after the Abu Dhabi Test against New Zealand in November 2014.Hafeez was initially drafted in the Platinum category of the PSL draft, but was later demoted to the Diamond category after no team picked him in the top bracket. He was eventually taken by Peshawar Zalmi for $70,000. Zalmi confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that they had picked Hafeez purely as a batsman. “I picked him as a batsman,” Zalmi’s head coach Mohammad Akram said. “I know he has the ability to win games and it would have been a bonus if he was allowed to bowl but we will have to respect the authorities and rules of the game.”

A quick glance at the head-to-head record is enough to show the gulf between India and Sri Lanka in women’s T20Is. Despite that, the manner in which India have swept Sri Lanka aside two games in a row would have surprised watchers and the hosts alike. The story in the second T20I followed a similar script to the first. Once again, India’s spinners squeezed Sri Lanka’s middle order before one of their top-order batters made easy work of the chase.Left-arm spinners Vaishnavi Sharma and N Shree Charani picked up two wickets apiece after Sneh Rana, in the XI in place of the indisposed Deepti Sharma, sucked out the momentum from Sri Lanka’s batting. If it was Jemimah Rodrigues’ half-century in the first game, Shafali Verma was at her brutal best in the second, finishing on an unbeaten 69 in just 34 balls, to help India get to the 129-run target at a run-rate close to 11 an over with 49 balls to spare.India went 2-0 up at the end of the Visakhapatnam leg, with the next three games to be played in Thiruvananthapuram.Chamari Athapaththu smokes one out of the park•BCCI

Athapaththu shows ’em how it’s done

Sri Lanka were jolted in the opening over after being asked to bat. Vishmi Gunaratne’s uppish drive was caught by Kranti Gaud in her follow-through. Chamari Athapaththu then started the charge. After the defeat in the first game, she asked her batters to step up and find ways of scoring. She was intent on leading from the front. She used her feet against Gaud to slash her in front of point. Two balls later, Gaud almost got back at the Sri Lanka captain.Charani, who dropped two simple catches on Sunday, misjudged Athapaththu’s slash and conceded a six. She charged in from the boundary line and then ran back, missed the ball completely despite a leap. Athapaththu blazed away with the field restrictions on, scoring 31 off 24 balls out of Sri Lanka’s 38 in 5.3 overs at that stage.After her dismissal, Hasini Perera and Harshitha Samarawickrama continued to bat with high intent. They primarily scored square of the wicket and added 28 in the three-and-a-half overs. And then came the squeeze from India.Vaishnavi Sharma reacts after picking up her first international wicket•BCCI

No Deepti no problem for India

On a day she was newly crowned the No. 1 T20I bowler in the ICC rankings, Deepti missed a T20I for the first time since 2019 – after 92 straight games – because of a mild fever. Harmanpreet Kaur has often turned to her when in search of control, but on Tuesday, Rana fit into the role with ease.Playing her first T20I in India since 2016 – she played 15 away from home in between – Rana’s first task was to stop a belligerent Athapaththu, and she delivered. She kept the Sri Lanka captain guessing with flight and dip before dismissing her. With Athapaththu itching to cut loose, Rana generously flighted one. It landed slightly shorter than Athapaththu expected because of the dip, and she ended up miscuing it to long-off.Rana then returned with Perera and Samarawickrama scoring at a good tempo, bowled a maiden and that turned the tide. It allowed left-arm spinner Charani to slip in a few quiet overs, which resulted in Perera’s dismissal. Vaishnavi also returned to pick up her first international wicket, with Charani, who denied her in the first T20I by dropping a dolly at short fine leg, taking a simple catch at the same spot after Nilakshika Silva top-edged a sweep.Sri Lanka hit 11 boundaries in the first nine overs, but could hit only two fours in the rest of their innings. They lost six for 24 to be restricted to a below-par total for the second game in a row, which was never going to challenge the hosts. Three run-outs for a second game in a row did not help matters either.Shafali Verma raced away after Smriti Mandhana fell relatively early•BCCI

Shafali goes berserk in paltry chase

If Sunday was an opportunity missed by Shafali, she more than made up for it on Tuesday. She was happy to bide her time at the start, with Smriti Mandhana being the aggressor. Once Mandhana fell, caught at point in a bid to hit Kavisha Dilhari’s offspin inside out over the off side, Shafali took centrestage. Inoka Ranaweera’s left-arm spin with the field restrictions in place was just the tonic she needed.Shafali hit Ranaweera for successive fours in the penultimate over of the powerplay – both by dancing down the track and lofting her over cover. She then took apart Athapaththu’s offspin, hitting here for 4, 6, 4 in the sixth over of the chase: first sweeping a short ball through backward square leg, then thumping a full ball straight into the sight-screen and then lifting one over extra cover.With the in-form Rodrigues for company, there was no respite for Sri Lanka’s bowlers. Rodrigues also tore into Ranaweera, hitting her for two fours and a six as the left-arm spinner was taken for 31 in her two overs.In an attempt to maintain the high tempo, Rodrigues holed out to long-on. Shafali soon completed her fifty from just 27 balls. She picked Shashini Gimhani’s left-arm wristspin from the hand and thumped her for back-to-back boundaries in a 12-run over that put India on the brink.Sri Lanka earned a consolation when Malki Madara’s dipping yorker deceived Harmanpreet. But they knew, as Athapaththu conceded after the game, that the batters failed to make the helpful conditions count in successive games.

1955-56
New Zealand’s first tour to India ended in a 0-2 series defeat. The first Test in Hyderabad was a high-scoring draw that had four centurions. India made 498 for 4 thanks to Polly Umrigar’s 223 and centuries to Vijay Manjrekar and debutant Kripal Singh. New Zealand managed 326, Subash Gupte taking seven wickets, and forced to follow-on, they finished 212 for 2. India took a series lead in Bombay, with Vinoo Mankad scoring 223 out of a total of 421 for 8 and Gupte spinning out eight wickets as New Zealand lost by an innings and 27 runs. The third Test was drawn in Delhi, another dull affair with plenty of runs – Bert Sutcliffe continued his form with 230 not out – and only ten wickets. Then the contest moved to Calcutta, where another draw resulted. India were bowled out for 132, New Zealand took a 204-run lead, but then India made 438, leaving the visitors an improbable 235 in just over a session. They finished on 75 for 6. India clinched the series in Madras, with their openers Mankad and Pankay Roy putting on a record 413, after which Gupte and Mankad bowled the home side to an innings victory.
India 2, New Zealand 0, Drawn 3
1964-65
New Zealand returned nine years later and lost the four-Test series 0-1. The first two Tests in Madras and Calcutta were draws – the second was a far more even contest between bat and ball – after which a gripping four-day draw fallowed in Bombay. New Zealand made 297 and then bowled out India for just 88, Bruce Taylor taking 5 for 26 in his second Test. But then, following on, India racked up 463 for 5, with Dilip Sardesai scoring an unbeaten 200 and Chandu Borde making 109. Set 255 for victory, New Zealand slipped to 8 for 80 against newcomers BS Chandrasekar and S Venkataraghavan before stumps were drawn on a tense final day. India took the series with a seven-wicket win in Delhi, thanks to Venkat’s 12 wickets. In just his third Test, Venkat took eight to keep New Zealand to 262, after which India made 465. Venkat took four more as the tourists were bowled out for 272, leaving India just 70 to get.
India 1, New Zealand 0, Drawn 3
1967-68
This was a historic tour for India, because it was their first overseas Test series win in 12 attempts. This was achieved by playing, as had become customary under the Nawab of Pataudi, three spinners. Pataudi reckoned, against conventional thinking, that India’s only chance lay in playing to their strengths – and he was right. Erapalli Prasanna’s six wickets in the second innings in Dunedin proved decisive in turning a nine-run lead into a position from which India won the match by five wickets. The hosts leveled the series with a six-wicket win in Christchurch but India’s spinners spun India to victory in Wellington. Prasanna and Bapu Nadkarni shared 17 wickets in a low-scoring contest and Ajit Wadekar’s 137 proved clinical. New Zealand needed a win in Auckland, but were crushed by 272 runs as Prasanna and Bishan Bedi took control.
India 3, New Zealand 1
1969-70
New Zealand returned for three Tests and squared the series. Bedi and Prasanna stitched up a 60-run win in Bombay but another good display by the home spinners was outdone by slow left-armer Hedley Howarth’s nine wickets in Nagpur. Set 277 to win, India were bowled out for 109 and New Zealand leveled the series. Weather marred the final Test in Hyderabad – there was no play on day two – and India escaped with a draw. Bowled out for just 89 in their first innings, India were 76 for 8 in pursuit of 268 when play was called off.
India 1, New Zealand 1, Drawn 11975-76
Chandrasekhar and Prasanna spun India to victory in Auckland, but centuries to Sunil Gavaskar and debutant Surinder Amarnath also proved decisive. At Christchurch the Test was extended by one day because the scheduled rest day, March 9, became a playing day after the third day was washed out. The match was subsequently drawn. Richard Hadlee starred at Wellington with 11 wickets as New Zealand squared the series in style. India were bowled out for 220, New Zealand made 334, and Hadlee’s seven in 8.3 overs sliced through the visiting side on day four.
India 1, New Zealand 1, Draw 1
ODIs: New Zealand 2, India 01976-77
Another dominant outing from India’s spinners gave the home side a lead at Bombay, after which the second Test was drawn on a flat Kanpur track. India piled up 524 for 9, with even the No. 10 Bedi reaching 50, but there wasn’t enough scope or time to push for a win. It was the strong Indian pace trio that starred in Madras, wrapping up victory by 216 runs and the series 2-0.
India 2, New Zealand 0, Drawn 11980-81
Geoff Howarth and Lance Cairns were the main contributors to New Zealand’s 62-run win in the first Test at Wellington. Howarth’s 137 was the only fifty-plus score out of a total of 375, and Cairns’ five kept India to 223. India came back well to keep the hosts to 100 in their second innins, only to stumble in pursuit of 253, with Hadlee taking four wickets. Weather accounted for two days of play in Christchurch and the third and final Test in Auckland was also drawn. John Bracewell took nine wickets and John Wright scored another century but there was not enough time for New Zealand to chase down their target of 157.
New Zealand 1, India 0, Drawn 2
ODIs: New Zealand 2, India 0

1988-89
Navjot Singh Sidhu had emerged from the 1987 World Cup with a new avatar, that of a marauding strokeplayer, and he picked Bangalore as the setting for his maiden Test century. Sidhu’s 116 from 195 balls, including four trademark sixes, took India to 384 for 9 before Arshad Ayub set the tone for what would be a very successful series, helping dismiss New Zealand for 189. Sidhu and Kris Srikkanth came out and hit breezy unbeaten knocks that carried India to 141 for 1 in 28 overs, and after the declaration Ayub and Narendra Hirwani shared ten wickets as India won by 172 runs. Led by Hadlee, bowling with pace and hostility in conditions that had tested the heart and stamina of more experienced fast bowlers, New Zealand hit back in Bombay. Hadlee took ten with good support from Bracewell (52, 32, and eight wickets) and the visitors won by 136 runs. However, India had the final word at Hyderabad. Ayub’ seven took his series tally to 21 and New Zealand’s batting came a cropper in the second innings before they went down by ten wickets.
India 2, New Zealand 1
ODIs: India 4, New Zealand 01989-90
Danny Morrison was on the road to succeeding Hadlee as New Zealand’s main strike bowler, and he began to lead the line with distinction in this series. Wright’s 185 helped New Zealand to a mammoth first innings, and Morrison’s five wickets in India’s first innings gave the hosts a 295-run lead. New Zealand enforced the follow-on and Hadlee took four before New Zealand won by 10 wickets. Two and a half days were lost to rain in Napier, but Morrison grabbed five more and Wright picked up an unbeaten century. For India, Manoj Prabhakar made 95 and Sachin Tendulkar narrowly missed becoming the youngest Test centurion by 16 runs. A high-scoring draw in Auckland handed New Zealand the series. Starring were Ian Smith with the highest score by a Test No. 9; Smith walked in at 131 for 7 and cracked a remarkable 173 off 136 balls including 24 off one over from Atul Wassan. India went past New Zealand’s 391 by some distance, thanks to Mohammad Azharuddin’s 192 and resistance from the tail, but the hosts came back with 483 for 5, with Andrew Jones and Martin Crowe hitting centuries. WV Raman and Prabhakar rounded off the draw with an unbeaten stand of 149 in the 45 overs remaining. Morrison took 16 wickets in three Tests.
New Zealand 1, India 0
1993-94
India returned in 1994 for one, a draw at Hamilton. Ken Rutherford rescued New Zealand from a sorry start on a rain hit opening day, one that will be remembered for Kapil Dev making Blair Hartland his record 433rd Test victim. Rutherford and the debutant Stephen Fleming led the fightback but India skittled New Zealand for 187 on day two, Javagal Srinath taking 4 for 60. New Zealand kept their hopes alive by keeping India to 246 thanks to Morrison’s rhythmic seam bowling and then extended their lead to 247 on day four. Weather was always going to threaten day five and the Test fizzled out to a draw. Fleming made 92 and Sidhu hit a fine 98 after India were set 310 in 66 overs, and the visitors finished on 177 for 3.
Drawn 1
ODIs: New Zealand 2, India 2
1995-96
India humbled New Zealand inside three days of the first Test in Bangalore. Home boys Srinath and Anil Kumble shot New Zealand out for 145 on day one, and it was always second-best for the visitors. They did well on the second morning to restrict India to a lead of 83, led by Chris Cairns, but slumped to 125 for 5 by stumps. Fleming and Cairns helped set a tricky target of 151 on a distinctly two-paced track, but Ajay Jadeja’s second fifty of the match gave India a blazing start. The teams left the friendly climate of Bangalore for steamy Madras, where rain allowed only 71.1 overs over four days. India won the series after a rain-affected draw in Calcutta. Storms ended an intriguing first day with 120 for 3, and play only resumed on the fourth day, during which India moved to 296 for 8 declared. On the last day, playing his first Test for five years, Hirwani took six of the first seven wickets to fall, using the googly often and with success. New Zealand were 175 for 8 when play was called off.
India 1, New Zealand 0, Drawn 2
ODIs: India 3, New Zealand 2, Abandoned 1
1998-99
The series got of to a wet start, what with the first Test in Dunedin abandoned without a ball being bowled. New Zealand beat India in a thrilling Test in Wellington, one in which the initiative was swapped several times. But the seeds of this win had been sowed on day one when, after India chose to bat, New Zealand dismissed them for 208. The home side responded with 356, including 89 from Dion Nash, after which India made 356 in their second innings. At stumps on the fourth day India appeared to have control with New Zealand four down and still needing 140, but thanks to some powerful batting by Cairns and Craig McMillan on day five the hosts went one-up and won their fifth successive Test. The series moved to Hamilton, where twin centuries from Rahul Dravid failed to end India’s sad record of failing to win overseas since 1986. The third day began with New Zealand hoping to clinch a decisive lead, but ended with Dravid leading India to a 50-run lead. Dravid and Srinath’s record 144-run partnership helped give India 416 after they had started the day on a precarious 196 for five. India then allowed New Zealand to post 464 for 8, with Cairns hitting 126, and their declaration came to late to allow a result. Dravid made 103 and Sourav Ganguly 101 as India finished on 249 for 2.
New Zealand 1, India 0, Abandoned 1, Drawn 1
ODIs: New Zealand 2, India 2, Abandoned 1

1999-00
The first day of the first Test in Mohali saw India fall for their lowest total against New Zealand at home. Nash (6 for 27) recorded his best Test figures, and the best by a New Zealander in India, as the home side were shot out for 83. The came back strongly, though, thanks to Srinath’s six and a century opening stand from the openers S Ramesh and Devang Gandhi, on debut. Dravid and Tendulkar proceeded to put on 229 and India declared on 505 for 3. Set 374 to win, New Zealand finished 251 for 7. In Kanpur, India won by eight wickets with more than a day to spare. Daniel Vettori’s 6 for 27 kept India’s lead to 74 – this after an opening stand of 162 between Gandhi and Ramesh – after a disappointing New Zealand batting effort, but Kumble and young Harbhajan Singh bowled superbly to set up victory. A run-filled draw followed in Ahmebabad, with Tendulkar hitting his maiden double-century in his 71st Test. Ramesh (110), Tendulkar (217) and Ganguly (125) scored hundreds in India’s 583 for 7, Kumble took five more, India declared a second time, and New Zealand, set 424, finished 252 for 2.
India 1, New Zealand 0, Drawn 2
ODIs: India 3, New Zealand 2
2002-03
New Zealand continued to sound out harsh treatment to India on their next tour of the country. The first Test in Wellington was over in barely two and a half days – India batted only 96.5 overs in the match. It was a surprisingly easy ten-wicket win for the hosts. India were knocked over for 161, conceded an 86-run lead, and were dismissed for a below par 121 in their second innings. New Zealand were left needing 36 to win, a feat achieved without loss by the Man-of-the-Match Mark Richardson, and Lou Vincent. This was India’s fourth loss in a row on the Basin Reserve, following those in 1975-76, in 1980-81 and in 1998-99. New Zealand won by four wickets in Hamilton, though no batsman scored a fifty in the Test. Rain washed out day one, and the conditions dictated more than anyone would have liked – there was swing and seam aplenty, and Daryl Tuffey’s sublime spell rolled India over for 99. On day three, 22 wickets fell in 105 overs bowled, and New Zealand were left needing 136 with ten wickets in hand. Having bowled the hosts out for 94, thanks to another excellent display from Zaheer Khan, India were in with a chance. They fought admirably, but ultimately lacked firepower on day four.
New Zealand 2, India 0
ODIs: New Zealand 5, India 2
2003-04
India had the upper hand from the start of the Ahmedabad Test but in the end the visitors inched to safety. Dravid’s 222 and Ganguly 100 took India to 500 for 5, leaving New Zealand 301 to avoid the follow-on. From 17 for 3, they were revived by Nathan Astle’s 103, a gritty 54 from McMillan, and Vettori’s crucial 67, scored in scorching temperatures and against two of the best spinners in the world. Kumble went past 350 Test wickets but it was Zaheer who was the star as India took a lead of 160. India took 45 overs to extend their lead to 369, after which New Zealand, in temperatures topping 40°C, ended at 272 for 6 after 107 overs of strong defiance. The teams were greeted by a pancake track in Mohali, on which Fleming promptly decided to bat. Their first-innings 630 for 6 included four centuries, the last from McMillan, who was unbeaten on 100 when Fleming ended the Indians’ misery. Richardson, Scott Styris, Lou Vincent and McMillan made batting look ridiculously easy. Records came and went: it was the first time that New Zealand’s first three batsmen had hit centuries; it was New Zealand’s highest overseas total; and only the second time a New Zealand side had scored more than 600 anywhere. In reply, Virender Sehwag reeled off a century before stumps on the third day, at which stage more than 800 runs had been scored for the loss of just seven wickets. VVS Laxman hit an unbeaten 104 to take India to within seven runs of the follow-on, and then defied New Zealand for most of the final day. Ultimately, the pitch had the final say.
India 0, New Zealand 0, Drawn 2
2008-09 in New Zealand
India’s new fast-bowling sensation Ishant Sharma reduced New Zealand 60 for 6 on the opening morning in Hamilton before rearguard tons from Jesse Ryder and Vettori rescued the hosts. India’s batsmen pressed ahead easily as Tendulkar’s 160, supported by Gautam Gambhir, Dravid, MS Dhoni and Zaheer Khan, gave them a lead of 231. Harbhajan then ripped through the hosts, setting India up for a massive victory, though Brendon McCullum’s 84 staved off the ignominy of an innings defeat. If the first Test showcased India’s dominance, the second in Napier underlined their resilience when pushed into a corner. Ryder’s double-century, supported by hundreds from Ross Taylor and McCullum, took New Zealand to an imposing 619. Despite fifties from Dravid and Laxman, India fell well short of the follow-on mark, which New Zealand enforced with over six sessions to go. Gambhir then played a special innings, going against his aggressive grain, facing 436 balls for 137. Laxman led the support act, with another century when his side was in strife, while Dravid, Tendulkar and Yuvraj Singh scored fifties as India held on. An all-round batting effort in the first-innings set the tone for India’s dominance in the decider. Zaheer and Harbhajan proved too hot to handle as New Zealand conceded a 182-run lead. Gambhir continued his rich run of form with 167 as India declared, arguably a touch late on the fourth morning, at 434 for 7. India’s conservatism cost them victory, with Taylor scoring a century as the hosts hung on against a rampant Harbhajan on the final day. With the series in the bag, however, few were complaining.
India 1, New Zealand 0, Drawn 2
ODIs: India 3, New Zealand 1, Abandoned 1
Twenty20s: New Zealand 2, India 0

New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum has said he would have no problem with giving the TV umpire control over calling no-balls, following an incorrect and match-changing call on the first day in Wellington. Australia won the first Test by an innings and 52 runs on the fourth day, but it was hard not to wonder what might have been but for umpire Richard Illingworth’s mistake in the last over of day one.Australia batsman Adam Voges was on 7 when he shouldered arms and was bowled by Doug Bracewell, but was reprieved by Illingworth’s no-ball call. Replays showed that a significant part of Bracewell’s heel was behind the crease but while the ICC’s regulations allow for a no-ball to be retrospectively called, they do not allow for one to be rescinded. Voges batted on, scored 239 and was Man of the Match.It was not the only such mistake in this Test. During New Zealand’s second innings, Illingworth again called a clearly incorrect no-ball, this time off the bowling of Jackson Bird, but the delivery was safely negotiated by Martin Guptill. After the match, McCullum indicated his support for handing the third umpire the responsibility for calling no-balls rather than the on-field officials.”Maybe that’s something that needs to be looked at, just to make sure you get the right decision all the time,” McCullum said. “I’m guessing it’s probably a bit easier as well for an umpire to look at the other end rather than having to look down and then look back up. But other people will make those decisions.”It was the second time in consecutive Tests against Australia that New Zealand were on the wrong end of an umpiring error that arguably turned the match. In the day-night Test in Adelaide in November, the TV umpire Nigel Llong wrongly gave Nathan Lyon not out caught upon a New Zealand review, despite Hot Spot clearly showing a mark on his bat. It would have left Australia at 9 for 118; they went on to make 224 and win the Test.”I haven’t brought it up with them,” McCullum said when asked if he had discussed the no-ball call with the umpires or match referee Chris Broad. “Richard Illingworth would be pretty disappointed with it, I’m guessing. It’s a bit of a shame but I’ve said all the way along that you’ve got to take the rough with the smooth in this game as well. Credit to Voges for making it count.”Everyone makes mistakes. Richard Illingworth is a fine umpire as I said about Nigel Llong in Adelaide and they’re allowed to make one mistake. It’s unfortunate for him that it probably had a bit of a bearing on the game. But we had our opportunities to rectify it and we didn’t do it. That [the no-ball call] is certainly not what we’re focusing on.”Had Voges been dismissed from that delivery in the last over of the first day, Australia would have been wobbling at 4 for 146 in reply to New Zealand’s 183, with a new batsman at the crease first thing on day two. Instead, Voges and Usman Khawaja added a further 153 during their partnership before Voges went on to post his second Test double-century of the summer.”We want to see the right decision made as much as possible,” Australia’s captain Steven Smith said. “Everyone makes mistakes, whether you’re a player or an umpire. Hopefully they can find a way to resolve that so that those sort of mistakes don’t happen too much in the future.”