aray aaj phir ? 
Well played Sehwag and Nehra :k: ! Indian batsmen tried their best to lose the match but bowlers nay koshish kamyaab nahee honey de. What a collapse in the end.
There was one over penalty too fro India. Mujhey yee nahee samajh aata k Ganguly kis cheez kee captaincy ker raha hay ? This is 2nd time that this happend in this one day series. This can cost India badly in future in important match :nook:
Well played @ NZ bowlers :k: . Atleast we saw some fight in this match.
A MATCH INDIA TRIED TO LOSE
Sir Richard Hadlee
Who would be a captain or a coach? This was a thrilling nail-biter for the players and a crowd of 18,000, as India tried desperately to lose a match they should have won by at least six wickets, after they had controlled 90 per cent of the game.
The sixth ODI at Eden Park gave Sourav Ganguly and John Wright a severe fright, while Stephen Fleming and Denis Aberhart were nearly gifted a chance of a reprieve. The Black Caps had a faint chance of victory when India lost their last 6 wickets for 16 runs in the final overs, but India just did enough to win the match by one wicket with one ball to spare. During the final overs, it was a battle of nerves for both teams, but it was the calmness of Ashish Nehra in a tense situation, who thumped the ball for 4 that allowed India to put together successive wins and take another morale boost on tour.
Panic sometimes happens when chasing runs during in a one-dayer. Victory often looks assured, then there is loss of a couple wickets, the fielding side picks up the intensity and senses a slight chance of success when they have not played well. All of sudden, the pressure mounts on the batting team with not too many balls remaining.
India nearly self-destructed and had they lost the match a lot of finger pointing would have occurred. The toss of coin has been so influential throughout this series. Whichever captain has won the toss, he invariably asks the opposition to bat first when the ball is moving off the seam and batting is at it’s most difficult.
There is no doubt that when India has batted first either in the Tests or the ODIs, they have struggled to score runs. During the series they have averaged scores of around 120 runs per innings and they have been severely critcised for poor performances.
When New Zealand have batted first, they have done better averaging about 200 per innings – perhaps a telling statistic as to why the Black Caps won the two Tests and are currently 4-2 up in the one-day series. However, the batting from both teams has not been convincing.
Again the Eden Park pitch had excessive moisture in it simply because of the amount of rain there has been in Auckland over the last few days. It was a seamers’ pitch, so both teams decided to leave their spinners out of the team and play the faster bowlers. It is very unusual for New Zealand to go into a match without Daniel Vettori.
The Black Cap batting problems continued. With no Nathan Astle through injury, Craig McMillan dropped from the team through poor form and other batsmen struggling for form, runs were again at a premium. Batsmen were continually beaten outside the off stump. New Zealand scrambled to 199 thanks to efforts of Shane Bond’s quick fire 31 from 15 balls at the end of the innings and some solid performances from Lou Vincent with a fighting 52 not out (his first one-day 50 in New Zealand) and Scott Styris with 42.
However, New Zealand needed to score around 220 to be more competitive. Javagal Srinath continues to impress with the ball. He has earned respect, he has experience, guile, clever variations and he is bowling as well as he has ever done during his career. He continues to hit the seam, has made life very difficult for the batsman and he gets them out.
He has captured 16 wickets from six matches and he was again outstanding with a magical spell of 3 for16 from 10 overs. In pursuit of 200 for victory, it was again Virender Sehwag who showed the way. His innings of 112, with a very high strike rate, was a joy to watch and a match-winning performance, but the Black Caps should have learned their lesson.
If he gives a chance, take it or you will suffer. He got two lives and he prospered. The New Zealand bowlers will analyse his run chart and they will see a glut of runs being scored square of the wicket on the off side. He is so strong in that area behind point and through the covers and if the bowlers bowl too short, full or wide, he has a picnic.
There will be a lot talk about the Indian over-rate. They were docked one over and had only 49 to bat. This is the second time during the series that India has been penalised for slow over-rates. Questions will be asked why India lost only one over when they completed their 50 overs, 15 minutes late – perhaps they should have lost two or even three overs and that would have cost them the match.
They need to be more mindful and purposeful in the field or it cost will cost them dearly at some stage. New Zealand will look at their performances and they will know that their batting needs to improve considerably. They have gifted India free runs with excessive no-balls and wides. Another 25 extra runs were given away today, making 95 in the series to date, far too many in low-scoring matches.
India too, has been guilty in this area. With one match remaining, Indian have regained some much-needed respect and deserved their wins in tight situations. They will be looking to make it three in a row while the Black Caps need to lift their game to ensure they finish on a high as the dress rehearsal for the World Cup comes to an end for both teams.
