The city of Christchurch will be proud of team India’s winning performance in the opening match of their multi-format tour of New Zealand. A city which was devastated by a 6.3 magnitude earthquake in 2011. A city that lost 185 of its citizens. A city that lost its buildings, its architecture and had to deal with liquefaction that produced 4,00,000 tonnes of silt. The earthquake jolted the city but couldn’t break its spirit. The people of Christchurch re-built their city brick by brick, and today it is the fastest growing region in New Zealand.
Prior to the earthquake international cricket matches in Christchurch were played at Lancaster Park, also known as AMI Stadium, but it suffered severe structural damage in the earthquake and had to be demolished. The Hagley Oval was developed, and the first international game of cricket was played there in 2014. It is a picture-perfect cricket ground. The majority of the seating is on grass banks and the balance is taken by the Hadlee Pavillion which just blends beautifully into the landscape.
When you are chasing 226 for victory in a T20 game first and foremost you need to believe and then you need to execute. The brutal manner in which Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma started India’s run chase showed that they had plenty of belief. Sometimes a target of 226 helps to clear the mind. There is only one way to chase down such a massive total; by going after the bowling from ball one. Samson and Abhishek plundered 94 in the power play and broke the back of New Zealand’s attack. Samson’s fifty came from 23 deliveries, including seven boundaries and three sixes. 46 of his first 50 runs came in boundaries.
Since the T20 World Cup earlier this year Sanju Samson has got a beauty spot on his bat. Samson’s 67 runs today came at a strike rate of 203, and he does it playing proper cricketing shots. When he picked up his player of the match award, he said he doesn’t think too much while batting and just focusses on seeing the ball well and making a good strong connection with it. Runs in the tour opener from Samson is a great sign for team India. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi will indeed have to bide his time.
Tilak Verma was promoted to number three today and it left everyone in the media box scratching their heads. Ishan Kishan has owned the number three spot ever since he came back to the Indian side. Moreover, some of Tilak’s best innings have been delivered when he bats lower down the order so why try to fix something that isn’t broken? This team management has the habit of throwing the cat amongst the pigeons. The change in the batting order caused a brief stutter in the run chase when India lost three wickets in the space of ten balls. A win though sweeps a lot of questions under the carpet.
When 115/1 became 122/4 captain Shreyas Iyer and the man for all occasions, Axar Patel, first absorbed the pressure briefly and then counterattacked in style. The icing on the cake though came from the cool and calm Naman Dhir. When he walked in at the fall of Axar’s wicket India still needed 59 from 33 deliveries. The game was on a knife’s edge. But Naman produced a 15-ball cameo in which he plundered 42 runs to take his side home. In his short international career so far, the most impressive thing about Naman is the way he makes meaningful contributions for his team either with the bat, ball or in the field.
Earlier in the night the bash brothers, Finn Allen and Tim Seifert, got the Blackcaps off to a great start. India were very disciplined with the ball in the first couple of overs. The no ball followed by a free hit in Bhuvneshwar’s second over opened the flood gates for New Zealand. The one chink in Allen’s armour is his record against spinners at the start of his innings. It was therefore a bit surprising that India didn’t give Axar the first or second over of the innings. By the time he came on in the final over of the PowerPlay the horse had bolted. Axar eventually got Allen out in his second over, substantiating the claim of a missed trick.
Daryl Mitchell and Glenn Phillips did exactly what Shreyas and Axar did for India. Initially they kept the scoreboard ticking with ones and twos and then swiftly moved through the gears. When Mitchell fell Bevon Jacobs came in and went berserk from ball one. Mumbai Indians kept Bevon on the bench for an entire season. Today he showed all of India the kind of power he possesses.
Blackcaps got to 225 because of the genius of one man. Phillips was injured in the second Test versus England earlier this year, a game in which he racked up a century braving the pain. This was his comeback game, but he looked like he had never left. His running between the wickets has always been good. It comes from all the cardio work he does. He can easily clear any boundary. The power in his shots comes from all the gym work he does. With experience his game awareness has improved drastically, and he now knows how to read situations and adapt accordingly. One of the few all format players in the world, India will see a lot more of him throughout the series.
Bowlers from both sides struggled with the ball in hand. 9.25 rpo was the best economy rate on the night across eleven bowlers from both sides. As stated earlier, sans Bumrah and Hardik India’s bowling has been off the mark for a while now. With the T20 matches starting at 8pm local time dew becomes a huge factor. New Zealand today were at the receiving end of the worst conditions to bowl in. India only got home because their batters yet again put up their hand when it mattered. Tosses therefore will be very crucial in the series.
The fielding from both sides left a lot to be desired. Dropped catches and misfields were common but we know that it is not a true reflection of what both sides are capable of. The crowd, most of whom were Indian supporters, got their money’s worth today. 455 runs were scored and the game finished in the 40th over of the day. Round one has gone to India, and both teams will be back on Saturday for round two. The bouncebackability of the hosts will be tested, and they need not look any far for inspiration than their own brethren, the iron-willed natives of Christchurch.
2 thoughts on “In hot pursuit, India mirror the iron will of Christchurch”
Do you think a Shami can add value to this T20 team Rahul? Seems like the Indian selectors have ignored him.
This T20 team seems red hot and well ironed..NZ Team will be tested.
Great question Brian. Shami definitely has the experience but I personally feel his best formats currently are ODI’s and test cricket. With the recent changes in the selection committee and Bhuvneshwar Kumar making a comeback there is still hope that we might see Shami in India colors again. Its going to be a great series for sure