New Zealand in India: 5th ODI, Match preview
After hammering New Zealand in the first four One Day Internationals of the five-match series, a rampaging India must be looking forward to crushing the tourists with a 5-0 series whitewash as both the sides face off each other in the fifth and final ODI in Chennai on Friday.
In the absence of senior players including regular captain http://www.senore.com/Cricket/MS-Dhoni-c2028 and batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar, the new-look Indian side has performed remarkably; hitting centuries in all four games that have been played so far. The senior players have been rested due to injury concerns ahead of the crucial exhausting tour of South Africa that would be followed by the esteemed World Cup campaign.
A 5-0 series thrashing would be a sweet reprisal for the Men in Blue for their 0-2 and 2-5 drubbing in the Test and one-day series during their tour of New Zealand in 2003. If the Black Caps lose at Chennai as well, it would be their most humiliating defeat against India sine 1975-76, the year when both sides played each other for the first time.
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Ashish-Nehra-c46293 is a concern for the hosts with the series figures of 3 for 197 from four matches.
Daniel Vettori’s men, however, must have regained a bit of their lost confidence after their refreshing performance with the bat during Tuesday’s game. The tourists did bowl well but their fielding was below par as Yusuf Pathan bailed the hosts out. After a much-improved performance in Bangalore, which hinted at a New Zealand revival, the visiting captain said that the side would focus on winning the last one-dayer despite the fact that they have already lost the series.
"We still think we can still win matches. We will approach the game in the morrow like the way we do every game to keep motivated in not losing focus since the one-day series had already been decided," he said.
Both sides are expected to make one change in their squad. Kane Williamson of New Zealand might make the sidelines for Jamie How, who has not been given a game in the tour so far. The hosts, on the other hand, are expected to bring back Munaf Patel to give the spearhead pacer Zaheer Khan a rest for the tough tour of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/South-Africa-c757 which starts in Centurion next week.
After persistent rain in Chennai for the past few days, the sun has come out bright once again since Thursday and a full match is anticipated to be on the card today at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai though weather forecasts suggest that rain might come later in the day on Friday.
The Stand-in captain of India http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Sri-Lanka-c758 in August earlier this year.
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