Today's match was a
bloody street fight where many punches landed by fighters to each other till
the time the other fighter was grounded. This game had everything. Ruthless
batting, Smart bowling, some great fielding (some not so great), almost last
ball finish, individuals with lesser reputation taking the centre stage to take
their teams to the finish line etc.
Considering the
bigger picture, Indians should not be disappointed. Pant, Hardik, Krunal and DK
showed how dangerous they can be on a given day. Kuldeep Yadav showed that he
has become a very mature bowler and does not get carried away if other bowlers
are getting hit all round the park. These were very similar conditions which
Indians will be getting in England during the world cup which is few months
away. However, New Zealand played exceptionally well. With Munro showing why he
is one of the best batsmen in T20 now-a-days, KW showing his class and Colin de
Grandhomme showing his hitting prowess set up a steep target and somehow
huffing and puffing restricted India 4 short of their score.
Kiwis were put in to
bat by India. Unlike the last game, Kiwis' openers came charging on as angry
bulls. Openers put on 80 runs within 8 overs. The stage was set for a total in
excess of 200. However, Indians could have restricted Kiwis from putting on a
mammoth 212 if Khaleel (when Munro was on 60) would have held on to a dolly
catch. However, then munro added 12 runs to his individual total and perished.
However, then KW and Colin de grandhomme came together and ensured that Kiwis
make rapid strides towards the 200 run mark. Final flourish was provided by
Daryl Michell and Roass taylor. Kiwis ended up with 212 on the board.
Indians in reply
lost Dhawan early. Vijay Shankar came at no.3. Played a handy innings of 43
(28) to keep India in the hunt of the target. Rohit, uncharacteristically,
played a innings of 38(32). Perished in 14th over trying to hit a wide ball out
of the park. So was MS Dhoni. However, sparkling brilliance was shown by Pant,
Pandya brothers and DK. Pant scored 16 runs out of first 3 deliveries. Hardik
hit his first ball out of the park. Krunal hit 14 runs out of the first 3
deliveries of 18th over from Southee. DK hit 2 huge sixes. However, these all
efforts could not help India achieve the target. In fact if not for DK and
Krunal Pandya's partnership of 63 out of 27 balls, India would have fell very
well short of the target. However, these were the positives out of the match
that batsman other than Rohit, Dhawan and MSD propelled India's chase and
almost won the match.
Really it was a
delight to watch today's match. That's what T20 are all about. Thrilling and entertaining!!
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