Skip to main content

'Indian batting seems to finish at No.5 which is worrying'

The fifth and final game of the one-day series promises to be a real thriller after New Zealand's magnificent fightback at Ranchi. New Zealand were not defending a big score but the manner in which their bowlers bowled and their fielders supported them it looked as if India were chasing 25 more runs than on the board.

The Vizag pitch will be the key. So far in the Ranji trophy matches that have taken place there the scores haven't been great and if the pitch is going to break up, then batting is not going to be easy. The Kiwis did the smart thing including Anton Devcich as it gave them a spinning option though he bowled mostly seam up stuff at Ranchi. That could well have been because of the dew factor which does not help grip the ball. Mitchell Santner was terrific as was Ish Sodhi though both could have done with a slip fielder as the ball was spinning a fair bit.


India too have used Kedar Jadhav to good effect and the unassuming Maharashtra skipper is delivering by not only taking wickets but also keeping the scoring rate down. His overs come in handy to cover for expensive bowlers like Hardik Pandya and Dhawal Kulkarni. Pandya got the important wicket of Martin Guptill who looks like he is back to his batting best but for the second successive game he has not bowled his full quota of overs which must be worrying for the team's think tank.

What is India's main concern is the batting. With Rohit Sharma not quite hitting his straps and Manish Pandey and Jadhav falling short, the onus is on Virat Kohli to get runs. In both India's wins he has made a major contribution and though he didn't exactly fail at Ranchi anything less than a half century from him means that India does not have a good score on the board. On paper India bat deep but on the field they seem to finish at number 5 which is worrying. Even then not everybody in the top five is chipping in. Jasprit Bumrah's absence deprives India of its best 'death' overs bowler and hopefully he will be fit for the decider in Vizag.

New Zealand will be hoping that the momentum that they got in Ranchi will continue and enable them to put one across India and win the series to make up for the total rout in the Test series.



via Sify.com http://ift.tt/2dQo2gO

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

India withdraw Smith protest as boards make peace in DRS row

India have withdrawn an official protest about the actions of Australia captain Steve Smith in the second test as the governing bodies of both countries moved to bring an end to the acrimony surrounding the ongoing four-match series. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had earlier registered a complaint to the International Cricket Council (ICC) over Smith looking to the dressing room for guidance on whether to review an lbw decision during the Bengaluru match. Despite the hosts winning the test to level the series at 1-1 on Tuesday, India skipper Virat Kohli alleged the tourists had indulged in the practice throughout the match, sparking a war of words in the media and a robust response from Australia. The boards released a joint statement on Friday saying the chief executives of both bodies had met in Mumbai on Thursday and agreed to try and bring the focus "back to the game" ahead of next week's third test in Ranchi. "India has always cherished a c...

Pogba is one of best players when in form: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

Leeds [UK], Dec 7 (ANI): Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has praised midfielder Paul Pogba, saying that he is one of the best players in the world when he is in good touch. "Paul is going to play when he gets his fitness. He is one of the best players in the world when he's in form and we just need to give him time to be 100 per cent fit," Goal.com quoted Solskjaer as saying. Pogba has endured a frustrating 2019-20 campaign to date, having only managed five Premier League appearances in total due to a string of fitness issues. He is currently recovering from an ankle injury and last played for the club on September 30 against Arsenal. Solskjaer had said that the France international will be out of action till December. "It might be 45 minutes in the first game, it might be half an hour, it might be 90. It depends on what game he comes back in and I'm looking back to get Paul back to where I had him about a year ago," Solskjaer said. ...

Virat Kohli and co. leave for West Indies

The Virat Kohli led Indian team left for the West Indies for the four-Test series starting July 21st. The team was accompanied by its newly appointed head coach Anil Kumble and other support staff. The 16-member squad will play a tour game against the West Indies Cricket Board President's XI at Warner Park in Basseterre, St Kitts on July 9 and 10. The journey begins. #TeamIndia leaves for the tour of West Indies. #WIvIND http://pic.twitter.com/ebK1jkoFiN -BCCI (@BCCI) July 5, 2016 That will be followed by a three-day warm-up fixture at the same venue from July 14 to 16. The first Test match will be held at the Vivian Richards Cricket Ground in Antigua from July 21 to 25. The other three Test matches will be held at Sabina Park in Kingston, Jamaica (Jul 30-Aug 3), Darren Sammy National Cricket Stadium in Gros Islet, St Lucia (Aug 9-13) and Queen's Park Oval, Port of Spain, Trinidad (Aug 18-22). When India last toured West Indies in 2011, the visitors won the series 1-0....