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16 The Bengal Post Kolkata Monday November 29, 2010
SPORTS
Virat grows bigger for India
New Zealand capitulate after Kohli’s second century on the trot in one-dayers
Guwahati: Virat Kohli’s
sparkling century helped
India script a 40-run win
against an injury-hit New
Zealand in the first One-Day
International to take a 1-0
lead in the five-match series
here on Sunday.
Chasing a challenging target
of 277 at Nehru Stadium
here, New Zealand were
short on experience with
captain Daniel Vettori and
explosive opener Brendon
McCullum missing out due
to back injuries as the visitors
were all out for 236 in
45.2 overs.
Stand-in skipper Ross
Taylor top-scored for the
Kiwis with a fighting 66 off
69 balls, studded with three
sixes and three boundaries.
At 169 for eight, New
Zealand looked like giving up
easily but Nathan McCullum
(35 from 35 balls) and Kyle
Mills (32 from 28 balls) produced
a 67-run ninth wicket
stand to give India a shortlived
scare.
But Sreesanth (3/67) broke
the partnership, dismissing
both, with the former being
brilliantly caught by captain
Gambhir as India won the
match with 28 balls to spare.
Once again Yuvraj Singh
could not do much with the
bat but he was really effective
with his bowling, claiming
three for 43 from his full
quota of 10 overs, while offspinner
Ravichandran
Ashwin took a career-best
three for 50.
Thanks to a compact 105
by in-form Kohli, the new
look Indian side put on 276
after being asked to bat first.
Fresh from his back-to-back
centuries in Ranji Trophy, the
Delhi lad played a neat and
chanceless knock off 104
balls with 10 boundaries for
his second consecutive and
fourth overall ODI century.
But Kohli’s dismissal
brought in a stunning Indian
collapse as the lower-order
managed 26 runs from the
last six overs, something that
exposed the new look side’s
81
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� Virat Kohli during the first One-Day International against New Zealand at Nehru
Stadium in Guwahati on Sunday. — AFP
inexperience at this level.
At 250 for four in the 44th
over, with Kohli going great
guns, a total in excess of 300
looked within easy reach but
it was not the case after the
centurion’s dismissal by
Andy McKay.
But New Zealand fought
back with a planned and calculated
bowling in the fag
end, especially by left-arm
seamer McKay, who
returned with a career-best
figures of 10-1-62-4.
New ball bowlers Kyle
Mills and Daryl Tuffey
claimed three for 42 and two
for 56 respectively. New
David Hopps
Andrew Strauss’ desire to become
the first England captain to win
the Ashes in Australia for 23
years blazed fiercely at the Gabba as he
brushed aside a historic day and instead
castigated his own failure as a batsman
and a captain for getting out to an
Australian part-time spinner.
Strauss and Cook had both struck
their first Ashes hundreds in Australia,
they had become England’s most prolific
opening batting pair in history and
England had lost only one wicket all
day. They had recovered from a perilous
position so brilliantly that they had a
lead of 88 runs and nine wickets in
hand into the final day.
But Strauss admitted that he had
rarely been angrier in his career than
the moment when he was dismissed for
110, stumped as he was drawn down
the pitch by Marcus North, who took
only his 14th wicket in 20 Tests.
“It was not the sort of dismissal that
we were looking for quite frankly,”
Strauss said. “It was not the sort of dismissal
I was looking for as both a batsman
and a captain. I picked the wrong
ball to go down the wicket to and paid
the price.
Zealand openers, Jamie How
and Martin Guptill, lacked
the firepower as the visitors
were slow and cautious to
start with.
Nehra broke the opening
stand for 32, scalping How as
his partner Guptill, after
being dropped twice by
Murali Vijay, did not last
long, departing for 30.
Taylor held the fort even as
wickets kept falling at the
other end, with Yuvraj doing
a great job for India with his
slow left-arm orthodox spin.
Taylor and Kane
Williamson looked good
during their 67-run third-
� Andrew Strauss in Brisbane
on Sunday. — AFP
wicket stand, but Yuvraj did
not let the partnership going.
Just when Taylor was beginning
to look dangerous with
his towering sixes, Ashwin
gave the crucial breakthrough
as New Zealand
were reduced to 154 for
seven in 33.3 overs.
Earlier, Kiwi new ball
bowlers, Mills and Tuffey,
extracted some fine seam
movement early on as openers
Vijay (29 from 32 balls)
and Gambhir (38 from 38
balls) survived some anxious
moments in the early morning
start.
The Indian duo, however,
“When you do have conditions in
your favour, it’s important you make
the opposition pay, and don’t let them
back into the game. It was important I
took my opportunity, and showed the
way. That is one of your duties as captain.
We had to come back into the
did not look under any
pressure in absence of
Virender Sehwag as they
stitched 44 for the opening
wicket before Vijay was done
in by Tuffey, with wicketkeeper
Gareth Hopkins taking
a brilliant catch running
backwards.
Kohli’s partnership with
Gambhir did not last long
as the left-hander fell
to McKay. — PTI
Scoreboard
India
M Vijay c Hopkins b Tuffey 29
G Gambhir c How b McKay 38
V Kohli c How b McKay 105
Y Singh c Hopkins b Tuffey 42
S Raina c How b Mills 13
Y Pathan c Taylor b Mills 29
W Saha c Hopkins b McKay 4
R Ashwin c&b McKay 0
A Nehra run out 0
S Sreesanth c How b Mills 4
M Patel not out 1
Extras: (b-1, lb-1, w-8, nb-1) 11
Total: (in 49 overs) 276
Fall of wkts: 1/44, 2/92, 3/182,
4/220, 5/250, 6/256, 7/256, 8/257,
9/275
Bowling: Mills 10-0-42-3, Tuffey
8-0-56-2, McKay 10-1-62-4,
Elliott 5-0-24-0, McCullum 9-0-
53-0, Styris 6-0-26-0, Williamson
1-0-11-0.
New Zealand
M Guptill c Patel b Ashwin 30
J How c Vijay b Nehra 9
K Williamson c Saha b Yuvraj 25
R Taylor c Patel b Ashwin 66
S Styris c Pathan b Yuvraj 10
G Elliot c Pathan b Sreesanth 5
D Tuffey c Raina b Yuvraj 4
G Hopkins c Pathan b Ashwin 16
N McCullum c Gambhir b Sree 35
K Mills c Saha b Sreesanth 32
A McKay not out 0
Extras: (lb-1, w-3) 4
Total: (in 45.2 overs) 236
Fall of wkts: 1/32, 2/46, 3/113,
4/131, 5/136, 6/144, 7/157, 8/169,
9/236
Bowling: Nehra 9-0-44-1,
Sreesanth 5.2-0-30-3, Ashwin 10-
1-50-3, Patel 8-0-39-0, Singh 10-
0-43-3, Pathan 2-0-24-0, Raina 1-
0-5-0.
MoM: Virat Kohli
Gambhir & Co. give the Press a miss Haider to
reveal names
Karachi: In what could bring
Guwahati: The Indian team on Sunday
gave the post-match Press conference a
miss as skipper Gautam Gambhir left the
Nehru Stadium immediately after the
team’s 40-run win over New Zealand in
the first of five-match ODI series.
Gambhir, who is leading the team for
the first time in Mahendra Singh
Dhoni’s absence, left the stadium after
the post-match presentation citing
“personal reasons”.
Post-match conference is mandatory
as per the International Cricket Council’s
protocol. While losing captain Ross
Taylor spoke to the media, Gambhir was
conspicuous by his absence.
A blame game between the Assam
Cricket Association and Indian team’s
support staff followed. Support staff
Mayank Parikh, when contacted,
blamed the ACA authorities and said:
“We were waiting in the dressing room
after the presentation got over but the
local media manager (from ACA) did
not approach us.”
ACA general secretary, Bikash Barua,
however, claimed that the Indian team
did not want to speak to the media.
“Just after the press conference, I personally
contacted Gambhir who said
there will be no India press conference as
the team would leave soon,” Barua said.
Even as the cricketers left the venue
right after the presentation ceremony,
coach Gary Kirsten was seen doing laps
of the stadium. The South African, however,
chose to ignore the waiting media
when asked about the skip.
“For ICC events the post-match conference
is mandatory. The losing captain
comes first followed by the winning
captain. For a bilateral series like
this, contact BCCI,” said Sami-ul Hasan,
ICC’s Communications and Media
Operations manager.
However, the BCCI was not aware of
the regulations. “I’m not aware of any
regulations. I can’t comment on this,”
was what BCCI chief administrative
officer, Ratnakar Shetty, said.
Meanwhile, New Zealand skipper
Ross Taylor was disappointed after the
Black Caps crashed to their seventh
consecutive ODI defeats here, but
hoped to get their act together before
the forthcoming World Cup in February.
New Zealand missed the services of
regular skipper Daniel Vettori and
Brendon McCullum due to back problems,
prompting the team management
to hand over the captaincy to Taylor.
“Hopefully we are getting all the
losses now. Like Twenty20, one-day
cricket is all about momentum. It would
have been nice to start off on a winning
note. Now we know that we have to play
a lot better than we did today (Sunday),”
Taylor said at the post-match briefing.
“We were looking at various stages of
the game and I think losing wickets in
the middle overs is one of the factors. It
was a disappointing result. The way we
batted through the middle was obviously
disappointing,” Taylor said.
“Hopefully Dan (Vettori) and Brendon
(McCullum) are back for the next match.
We are monitoring them on a day-to-day
basis. We are here to try a few different
combinations and I’m sure they will
work out. Vettori makes a big difference
on any track he plays on,” he added. — PTI
more trouble for Pakistan
cricket, Zulqarnain Haider on
Sunday said he will reveal the
identity of the people, who
took bribes while being in
the country’s cricket set-up.
Haider is apparently
miffed by negative remarks
about him by Shahid Afridi,
manager Intikhab Alam and
the PCB legal advisor
Tafazzul Rizvi.
He on Sunday wrote on a
social-networking site: “I will
soon let the people know the
background of some people
and about those who take or
had taken money.”
Haider is facing an inquiry
from the PCB, which is
clearly unhappy with his act
of leaving the team without
informing the team management
during the series in
Dubai and Abu Dhabi. — PTI
England skipper unhappy
game today (Sunday), and that meant
some of our batters had to stand up and
deliver — and thankfully, Alastair and I
were able to do that. I had a bit of luck
and it wasn’t the best technical innings
I have ever played but in terms of
importance, it was up there.”
Strauss, who was also dropped on 69
by Mitchell Johnson at mid-off, might
have been seething at his final misjudgement,
but he still stalked from the
pitch with a fourth Test century against
Australia, a considerable improvement
on his mood three balls into the first day
when Ben Hilfenhaus had him caught at
gully for a duck and England’s Ashes
quest had got off to the worst possible
start. Then he felt not anger but despair.
“The third ball of the game was pretty
much as close to as bad as I’ve felt on a
cricket pitch, getting out in the first over
of such an important Test match,” he
said. “It wasn’t the start I was looking
for. But that is this wonderful game of
cricket. Sometimes it does remind you
that you need to respect the game.”
It could have been much worse for
Strauss, who might have made a pair. He
escaped a first-ball duck in the second
innings when Australia opted to refer Ben
Hilfenhaus’s appeal for lbw, but it was
rejected by the TV umpire. — The Guardian
McCullum,
Vettori
held back
Guwahati: On Sunday, New
Zealand missed the services
of skipper Daniel Vettori and
opener Brendon McCullum
because of back problems.
“During the past week,
Dan (Vettori) has complained
of lower back stiffness and it
has intensified during preparation
for the one-day series,”
coach cum selector Mark
Greatbatch said.
“Brendon suffered a back
spasm at the start of the
third Test against India and
still has soreness. So he
needs to get that right. We
wanted to give them until
this (Sunday) morning to see
how they were, but it’s clear
they need a few more days
to recover.
“We considered playing
Brendon as a batsman only
but that could delay his
recovery. So we took a longerterm
view. The extra rest
gives him a chance of taking
the gloves later in the series.
They are both disappointed.
However, it does provide a
wonderful opportunity for
other players to step up.”
The Black Caps observed a
two-minute silence before
the start of the match in memory
of the 29 coal miners
who died in an underground
blast a week ago. — PTI
Brisbane: England openers
Andrew Strauss and Alastair
Cook posted centuries on
Sunday to wipe out England’s
first-innings deficit
and bring the tourists right
back into the first Ashes Test
against Australia.
Starting the fourth day of
the Test 202 runs in arrears,
England had reached 309 for
one with a lead of 88 at the
close of play with Cook unbeaten
on 132 and a well-set
Jonathan Trott at the crease.
Although they could not
match the heights of Mike
Hussey and Brad Haddin’s
partnership of 307 that put
Australia in charge on the
third day, Strauss and Cook’s
opening stand of 188 could
end up being just as important
at the end of the five-
Test series. Where touring
sides of recent years might
have crumbled, Strauss and
Cook showed England’s
boasts of their teams’
resilience was not just talk.
Strauss was removed for a
duck off the third ball of the
first innings, but seized his
chance in the second to
claim his 19th Test century —
his first since his 161 in the
Lord’s Ashes Test last July —
‘Kohli executed
plan perfectly’
Guwahati: Leading the side for the first time, India captain
Gautam Gambhir lavished praise on centurion Virat Kohli to
the official broadcasters on Sunday, for scripting a 40-run win
over New Zealand in the first ODI.
“Virat batted exceptionally well today (Sunday). After
losing the toss, we thought someone needs to go and get a
hundred. He did exactly that.
He was good with his shot
selection.
“Overall, I am satisfied
with the performance of the
team,” said Gambhir, who
also scored a quick-fire 38 at
the top to give the team a
sound start.
“Both batsmen and
bowlers chipped in with useful
contributions. R Ashwin
bowled brilliantly, pacers
Nehra and Sreesanth were
equally good.
“Virat, Yuvraj and other
batsmen were also good. We
hope to continue the
momentum in the fixtures ahead,” he said.
Asked about captaining the side in the absence of
regular captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Gambhir said:
“Leading the side was a great feeling and I am happy to start
with a win.”
Man of the Match Kohli said he has brought some changes
to his aggressive style of batting, and is now concentrating
more on the singles and twos.
“It feels good to get a century. I just want to make the most
of my outing. After the bad Sri Lanka series I got enough backing
from the team and the coach to deliver the goods and,
these days, I am more into analysing my game.
“I am concentrating on holding one end and let others do
their bit. I am converting more singles and doubles these days.
It’s good to score runs and help your team post a good total on
the board.” — PTI
Strauss and Cook open
up all possibilities
soon after lunch.
Cook had scored more
slowly but was given fewer
chances than his skipper and
clinched his 14th Test century,
only his second against
Australia, with a cut shot that
sent the ball fizzing to the
boundary just after tea to
add to his first innings 67. By
that stage, England’s best
partnership in a Test at the
Gabba had been broken and
Strauss was furious with
himself after coming down
the wicket to occasional
spinner Marcus North, only
to be stumped for 110 by
wicketkeeper Brad Haddin.
Cook was joined by Trott,
who rode his luck a little
with some loose shots but
helped put on 121 for the
second wicket as Australian
heads dropped after a long,
hard day in the field. Questions
will be asked about
the Australian pacers, in particular
Mitchell Johnson,
who failed to get anything
out of the Gabba strip and
remains wicketless in the
Test at the cost of 131 runs.
“We weren’t able to sustain
pressure for long
enough,” said Shane Watson,
who thought it was unfair to
single out Johnson.
Australia’s misery was
compounded by three missed
catches — Johnson dropping
Strauss when the England
captain was on 70, and
Peter Siddle and Michael Clarke
spilling two more difficult
chances to dismiss Trott.
Even the umpire referral
system went against the
hosts when umpire Aleem
Dar’s refusal of Ben
Hilfenhaus’ appeal for lbw
against Trott was upheld
after the review. — Reuters
Scoreboard
England
First innings 260
Australia
First innings 481
England
Second innings (Overnight 19/0)
A Strauss st Haddin b North 110
A Cook batting 132
J Trott batting 54
Extras: (b-1, lb-2, w-4, nb-6) 13
Total: (for one wicket in 101
overs) 309
Fall of wkt: 1/188
Bowling: Hilfenhaus 26-4-75-0,
Siddle 19-3-67-0, North 12-2-22-
1, Johnson 18-4-65-0, Doherty
18-3-52-0, Watson 8-2-25-0.
� England’s Alastair Cook after his century against Australia during the fourth day
of the first Test in Brisbane on Sunday. — AP/PTI
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