Cricket Update: Gautham Gambhir guides India to victory
Gautham Gambhir’s marvelous batting display sealed India’s win against New Zealand, to lead the series 2-0. Initially, the Indian bowlers responded well to the call of their captain, restricting New Zealand to a defendable score of 258 for 8. The bowling was accurate, smart and effective, which made the job easy for the Indian batsmen. The captain led from the front, scoring a brilliant 138 runs off 116 balls.
Gambhir showed intent today, after he was struggling in the batting department earlier. The impressive form returned in this match, increasing his strike rate, dramatically. He did not let his strike rate fall below 100, once he got going. Equally gleaming company on the other end, by http://www.senore.com/Cricket/New-Zealand-c754 to bat, initially. The surface of the pitch, seemed to be a batting one, in the first innings but played equally well in the latter half. However, the usage of towels was conspicuous, in the second half of the game. This is what made the bowling so different and interesting.
The track was sluggish and stumpy, allowing India to cut out the pace and make room for them. Nothing extravagant was done with the ball, just precise, wicket to wicket deliveries
were pitched in. Martin Guptill and Scott Styris scored fifties, to save New Zealand, but to no avail. India kept a tight check on the visitors, pulling them whenever they tried to break loose. Styris came to the crease in the 25th over, with the Kiwis about to enter into triple figures. He nudged around singles, on loose deliveries, playing sensibly. The Indians came back strongly when Styris and Guptill opted for the batting power-play. http://www.senore.com/Cricket/R-Ashwin-c2228 responded to the skipper’s call, dismissing Guptill through a brilliant delivery. This pushed the Kiwis on the back foot.
New Zealand introduced Nathan McCullum early into the bowling attack, in hope to grab some wickets, before the dew factor settled in. He managed to disturb http://www.senore.com/Cricket/M-Vijay-c1867, making full
use of the slowness in the pitch. Gambhir, however, was on a totally different mission. He timed everything to perfection, except for a couple of miss-hits. Hence, he steered his team to success and gave them2-0 lead in the series.
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