India dominate New Zealand on the opening day of the Hyderabad Test - Cricket News Roundup – Part 1 – August 24, 2012
India on Thursday, massacred tourists New Zealand by bolstering a first innings tally of 307 for the loss of five wickets at stumps, on the first day of the first Test, at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Uppal, Hyderabad.
Choosing to bat first, Indian openers hammered a stand of 49 runs, followed by a resounding knock of 119 by CA Pujara, who stayed unbeaten till the end of the day alongside skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni on 29.
V Kohli was the second highest scoring batsman with an impressive tally of 58 to his name.
From New Zealand, TA Boult, was the best bowler with two wickets.
All-rounder, Kevin Pietersen’s absence is not a big problem for England, believes one-day captain Alastair Cook.
All set to take on the South Africans in the five-match One Day International (ODI) series, Cook said, “There's not really that much change here. He (Pietersen) hasn't been around the one-day squad for a year or so now.”
Alastair Cook admits promotion in ODI rankings shocked his team, as they were not expecting the number-one spot in the limited overs format so soon.
With 10 wins this year, Cook’s men have become the number-one team and would now be defending their title against the South Africans in the ODI series, after losing their top place in Test cricket to the Proteas last week.
“It was certainly a surprise when it came through that we were number one. But for me we've got such a long way to go in terms of where we want to get to and the amount of improvement we've got to make," said the English captain.
AB de Villiers, the South African one-day skipper, believes his bowlers can take out England’s weak batting line-up in the upcoming one-day series beginning from today (Friday).
“I think they are a little bit light in the batting department, that might be something that we will be attacking. We'll see," De Villiers said on Thursday.
The skipper was also satisfied with the form of his batsmen and reckoned they would overcome the English bowling attack.
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