Convincing victory puts India in final

Tendulkar and Sehwag came good in style © AFP

India 353 for 5 (Sehwag 130, Tendulkar 102, Dravid 50*) beat New Zealand 208 (Styris 58) by 145 runs
Scorecard

India, needing to win to make it to the final of the TVC Cup, achieved their goal with a degree of ease at Hyderabad, trouncing New Zealand by 145 runs. The match was virtually put beyond New Zealand's grasp by the interval, as fine hundreds from Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag, made in contrasting fashion, and a sparkling fifty from Rahul Dravid, allowed India to rack up 353 for 5, the highest score of the tournament. When New Zealand batted, a fine spell from Ajit Agarkar had them in trouble from the very beginning, and they slipped to 208 all out.

Nothing about the first ten overs of the Indian innings hinted at the glut of runs that was to follow, as Daryl Tuffey and Kyle Mills bowled good first spells and kept the openers down to 48. But once the two batsmen changed gear, they appeared totally at a loss for ways in which to stem the flow of runs.

That Tendulkar made a century was not unusual - it was his 36th in one-day internationals - but his innings was unusual as far as Tendulkar hundreds go. All too often he makes a rapid start when the field is up in the first fifteen overs, and proceeds inexorably to the landmark once the fielders retreat, eschewing risks and playing percentage cricket. But here he started circumspectly - his first boundary came off his 32nd ball - before racing past Sehwag with a calculated assault on first-change bowler Jacob Oram, savaging him for five fours in two overs.

He continued to attack the bowlers even after Cairns was able to provide them with defensive fields, achieving such success in throwing them off their length that New Zealand had employed seven bowlers by the 23rd over. His one six was a soaring hit over long-on off Scott Styris, and at least two other shots landed inches short of the ropes. He brought up his hundred in the 30th over off just 87 balls. It was an hundred as fervent and animated as those once seen from a younger Tendulkar, and indeed it appeared as if Tendulkar and Sehwag had exchanged their traditional roles at the top of the Indian batting order for a day, for Sehwag was the more restrained and accumulative of the two.

Tendulkar fell soon after for 102, hitting Chris Harris down the throat of long-off (182 for 1), but his innings had set India up for a sizeable score.

Sehwag's stock had fallen recently after a series of below-par displays in the tournament, and even his 39 against Australia in his last game was less than fluent. But New Zealand are his favourite opposition - three of his five ODI hundreds previous to this one have been against them - and the odds were always on his making a big score as long as he took the care to play himself in, which he duly did here. He played second fiddle as his partner surged past him, and took charge after he left, bringing up his hundred from 119 balls, by which time he had regained the carefree air of old, as evidenced by a merry swing for six over midwicket off Daniel Vettori. He fell with six overs to go, by which time India had already amassed 283.

With overs running out and wickets falling steadily in the quest for quick runs, it appeared as if Sourav Ganguly's 33 would be the only other contribution of note. But, incredibly, the best batting of the day was still to come. Rahul Dravid made the second-fastest half century by an Indian batsman, hitting three sixes and five fours in 22 balls of radiant late-order striking.

Dravid's cameo will be remembered as one of his best ever innings in this form of the game, and his elation after reaching the landmark off the last ball of the innings showed that he too felt it was something special. There was nothing premeditated about most of his shots: he stayed dead still as the bowler delivered the ball and responded each time with an attacking stroke conceived instantly. In recent times he has become a far more powerful hitter of the ball than before, and each of his sixes was effortlessly hit.

His innings ensured that New Zealand began their innings knowing that they stood only the smallest sliver of a chance, and also under pressure to attack right away. This was also the moment chosen by Ajit Agarkar, returning to the Indian side after being left out for Ashish Nehra on reputation rather than current form, to bowl a hostile first spell.

He first bowled Chris Nevin with a full and swinging delivery that the batsman turned into a yorker as he advanced down the wicket with an attacking stroke in mind (8 for 1). Agarkar then had Chris Harris plumb in front with a similar delivery that bent back into him (25 for 2).

The task of reviving the innings fell again to Scott Styris and Craig McMillan, who won the game for New Zealand the last time the two sides met. They put on 62 for the fourth wicket before McMillan fell to Anil Kumble. His top edge looped up for Dravid to take a simple catch (110 for 4) Styris, who batted with all the confidence of a man on the final leg of a very successful tour, made a skilled half-century, but when he holed out shortly after, the rest of the batting was only desperation.

Chandrahas Choudhury is a staff writer with Wisden Asia Cricket magazine.