*****INDIA Vs NEW ZEALAND CRICKET SERIES 2016 - NZ TOUR OF INDIA*****

[Kool_SRG]

Kanpur gears up for historic match as India take on New Zealand in 500th Test

Call it oversight or lack of planning by the Indian cricket board, or its hands were tied by its rotation policy, one would have expected the significant milestone of India’s 500th Test to be reached in Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai or Delhi rather than Kanpur’s Green Park, where the first Test against New Zealand starts on September 22. A bigger opposition too would have been appropriate.

Eden Gardens, India’s biggest venue for the cricket world, will host the second Test, though that too would be a milestone moment, marking the 250th match on Indian soil.

 

India played their first Test at Lord’s, but many would be surprised to find the first game at home, and their second overall, was held at Mumbai’s Gymkhana Ground, in December, 1933. India lost to England by nine wickets in the only Test to be hosted in that venue.

While it has taken 84 years for India to reach this milestone, few would bet on the next 500. Test cricket is in turbulence, and the format that once held a special place in the world of sport, is struggling for survival. Two-tier competition, pink ball and four-day matches are all in the mix, but it appears a losing battle as of now.

SPECIAL PLACE

It was reverence for tradition that encouraged Indians to embrace Test cricket, as a sport than the commercial behemoth it became decades on. India were still 14 years from freedom. MJ Gopalan, the Chennai pace stalwart and double international, chose the 1936 Test tour of England over a spot in the hockey squad for the Berlin Olympics, though he was assured of gold.

 

 

Decades later, Gopalan disclosed in an interview that he went by the advise of his British boss at the Chennai company he worked that England would provide valuable experience. Though he never got to play a Test on the tour, Gopalan said he had no regrets.

KANPUR CONNECT

Though Kanpur has not grown as a venue like the major metros, it is special for Indian cricket. Off-spinner Jasu Patel’s first innings 9/69 in a 14-wicket match haul against Richie Benaud’s Australia remained India’s best Test bowling figures for 40 years till Anil Kumble’s feat of 10/74 against Pakistan in Delhi in 1999.

Green Park where the wristy Gundappa Viswanath made his debut with a century and Mohammad Azharuddin became the only batsman in Test history to score three centuries in his first three matches.

Team India’s high points in Test cricket.

India can look back with pride at the Gavaskar and Kapil Dev era, the golden age of batting led by Sachin Tendulkar, and VVS Laxman’s iconic 281 against Australia at the Eden Gardens in 2001.

Virat Kohli carries the baton in a season packed with 13 home Tests. A strong finish will infuse credibility in Test cricket and dictate the journey ahead.

 

[Kool_SRG]

To make 500th Test more grand, BCCI also invites India’s women captains

 

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is leaving no stone unturned in making the 500th Test occasion a grand success.

Apart from inviting all its former men’s Test captains to witness the first Test against New Zealand at Kanpur from September 22, the Indian cricket board on Monday also took a decision to invite all Test skippers from the women’s team.

Although the current skipper Mithali Raj and vice-captain Harmanpreet Kaur had already got their invites for the 500th Test, former Test captains were not a part of the BCCI’s plan initially.

It was only done after a few former women’s Test captains requested the BCCI officials to extend the invitation to the women’s cricketers as well.

 

“This will be a big moment for India’s men’s cricket team, but if the BCCI would have extended their invites to former Test skippers of the Indian women’s team, it would have been a wonderful gesture. In the recent past, the BCCI has taken some wonderful decisions for uplifting women’s cricket, but by inviting the former women’s captains for the 500th Test would have done a lot of good for women’s cricket,” former India skipper Diana Edulji had told Hindustan Times on Sunday.

She was nonetheless elated with the change of heart of the Board officials. “Our request has been approved. All Test captains will be invited and most of them will make it to Kanpur,” Edulji said.

Former skipper Shubhangi Kulkarni, who had also requested the BCCI on the same, was delighted with the Board’s gesture.

Edulji said it is important that the BCCI gives equal treatment to women’s cricket as well. “We have always had to ask for things. It has never been awarded to us. Whenever there is any discussion on cricket in the BCCI, it is all about the men’s team. Any thought on women’s cricket does not come naturally to them.

“As I have been saying, winning one big tournament or a championship will perhaps help change this attitude,” said Edulji.

[timmy]

India Team
M Vijay, KL Rahul, V Kohli*, CA Pujara, AM Rahane, RG Sharma, WP Saha†, R Ashwin, RA Jadeja, UT Yadav, Mohammed Shami, S Dhawan, A Mishra, B Kumar
New Zealand Team
TWM Latham, MJ Guptill, KS Williamson*, LRPL Taylor, L Ronchi, MJ Santner, BJ Watling†, MD Craig, IS Sodhi, TA Boult, N Wagner, HM Nicholls, JDS Neesham, MJ Henry, DAJ Bracewell

 

india batting 

[VizagRocks]

KL Rahul inko Sehwag avthaada, lekuntey Afridi avthada

 

[timmy]

Santner to Rahul, OUT, superb catch from Watling! A little quicker through the air, a little puff of dust off the pitch, the ball jerks away - it's allowed to do so because Rahul was so far back in his crease, playing for the trajectory. He prods at it, the edge is taken and umpire Rod Tucker says off you go

KL Rahul c †Watling b Santner 32 (39b 4x4 1x6) SR: 82.05

42/1 

[Kool_SRG]

India 105/1 (31.0 ov)

New Zealand

India won the toss and elected to bat

India RR 3.38

Last 10 ovs 36/0 RR 3.60

Min overs remaining 59

 

---

Lunch - Day 1
Batsmen R B 4s 6s SR   Cheteshwar Pujara (rhb) 34 58 5 0 58.62   Murali Vijay (rhb) 39 89 4 0 43.82

[Kontekurradu]

3 hours ago, timmy said:

Santner to Rahul, OUT, superb catch from Watling! A little quicker through the air, a little puff of dust off the pitch, the ball jerks away - it's allowed to do so because Rahul was so far back in his crease, playing for the trajectory. He prods at it, the edge is taken and umpire Rod Tucker says off you go

KL Rahul c †Watling b Santner 32 (39b 4x4 1x6) SR: 82.05

42/1 

[Kool_SRG]

 

48.4

Santner to Pujara, OUT, he's popped it back to the bowler! It was pushed through on middle and leg, Pujara wanted to play it as straight as possibly and ends up paying for it. Jams his bat down on his pad with an anger not often associated with him. Shows you how much going big meant to him in this innings. New Zealand have broken through, by playing patiently. Stringing enough good balls in and waiting for the mistake. Great stuff.

 

CA Pujara c & b Santner 62 (109b 8x4 0x6) SR: 56.88

 

 

FOW 2-154 (Pujara, 48.4 ov)

 

 

[Kool_SRG]

51.3

Wagner to Kohli, OUT, perishes to the bouncer! Wagner had moved over the wicket, the ball goes up looking for his nose. No room to work with, too much height to control the pull. Gets a top edge and it becomes a simple catch to Sodhi. Good cricket from New Zealand. They first session went away from them, but they've not wilted. Kohli's a brilliant puller of the ball, but Wagner was, if you'll believe it on this slow pitch, just a bit too quick for him

V Kohli c Sodhi b Wagner 9 (10b 2x4 0x6) SR: 90.00

FOW 3-167 (Kohli, 51.3 ov)

 

[Kool_SRG]

58.1

Sodhi to Vijay, OUT, he's walking! This was the wicket they dearly wanted, well they'd have accepted as many as they could get, but to have the second set batsman walking off just before tea would be just about perfect for them after the morning they had. It's only slightly short, and skids through after pitching, straight on. Vijay goes back to cut, feathers an edge to Watling who is again superb behind the stumps. Stays low, stays safe

M Vijay c †Watling b Sodhi 65 (170b 8x4 0x6) SR: 38.23

FOW 4-185 (Vijay, 58.1 ov)

[Kool_SRG]

63.6

Craig to Rahane, OUT, Craig's persistence pays off, he's got Rahane at short leg! Beautiful bowling there - he kept tossing them outside off, and this time the ball had that length to turn enough before reaching Rahane to take the edge and lob up for short leg. It was neither short enough to go back, not full enough for him to lunge forward

AM Rahane c Latham b Craig 18 (36b 2x4 0x6) SR: 50.00

 

FOW 5-209 (Rahane, 63.6 ov)

[mahesh1]

7 down

[Kool_SRG]

82.6

Santner to Sharma, OUT, Rohit has given it away, again! Chips it into the lap of mid-on. Tossed up on a good length on middle, he perhaps intended to go over mid-on. Chip shot goes awry because he couldn't get to the pitch and the ball drifted in and hurt his generation of power

RG Sharma c Sodhi b Santner 35 (67b 3x4 1x6) SR: 52.23

 

FOW 261/6

[Kool_SRG]

83.5

Boult to Saha, OUT, tip your hat to the bowler and head off for a cup of tea, because that was unplayable. An inswinger that defies the docile pitch for the quicks and the lack of atmospheric help. It's that SG seam. So prominent. So useful in the hands of a good bowler. Boult pitches it on middle and off and jerks it in through the gap between bat and pad. Saha was in no position to keep it out and the ball kicks the leg bail off its perch with the other bail firmly in place. B-e-a-utiful!

WP Saha b Boult 0 (2b 0x4 0x6) SR: 0.00

 

FOW 262/7

[Kool_SRG]

LOL...

Ashwin has become India's leading Test run-scorer and wicket-taker in 2016