da gbg bet： Harbhajan Singh took 6 for 63 – his best figures in New Zealand – to set up a ten-wicket win which gave India the first Test victory in 33 years in the country
The Bulletin by Dileep Premachandran21-Mar-2009
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
Harbhajan Singh took his first five-wicket haul in New Zealand•Associated Press
It had been 33 years since India won a Test match in New Zealand but thestatistic was rendered obsolete after a six-wicket haul from HarbhajanSingh inspired a comprehensive 10-wicket victory at Seddon Park. DanielFlynn led the defiance with 67 and Brendon McCullum hustled 84 as Indiaeased off after tea. But though the innings defeat was avoided after a76-run partnership with Iain O’Brien, India needed just 32 balls to knockoff the 39 runs needed.McCullum was decidedly fortunate to survive a leg-before shout from MunafPatel when he was on three, and Simon Taufel missed a bat-padcatch when he had 67. But those apart, he played his strokes freely, withMS Dhoni not employing too many close-in fielders and more than content togive him singles. With the field spread, he cut the ball with immensepower and played a couple of pulls too as the innings defeat was avoided.O’Brien defended stoutly and hit a couple of boundaries himself as thepartnership assumed frustrating proportions. Almost inevitably, it wasHarbhajan that provided succour, though there was more than an element ofdoubt about the bat-pad decision that ended O’Brien’s resistance. Hecould have few complaints though after the third umpire had given him thebenefit of a run-out call.Smart StatsIndia’s ten-wicket win in Hamilton was their 32nd overseas and their fifth in New Zealand. They last won a Test in the country in January 1976.Of the 17 Tests they’ve played since 2007, New Zealand have won four and lost nine. Three of their wins came against Bangladesh, and one against England in Hamilton in March 2008.This is India’s second ten-wicket win overseas. Their previous such victory came against Zimbabwe in Harare in September 2005.India’s lead of 241 at the end of the first innings is their sixth-highest when they’ve batted second in overseas Tests. They’ve done better batting first, leading by 200 or more on 11 occasions.Harbhajan Singh’s figures of 6 for 63 are his best in an innings overseas, and third in the list of best performances by Indian spinners in a Test innings in New Zealand. Seventeen of Harbhajan’s 23 five-wicket hauls have come in India.It had taken India almost an hour to break through in the morning but oncethey did, wickets kept falling at regular intervals. Harbhajan was at theforefront, bowling round the wicket and flighting the ball into the fewrough patches. He varied his pace cleverly and the bounce in the pitchmade tackling him a most arduous proposition.Flynn started the day in positive fashion, cutting and pulling Zaheer Khanfor fours, but Ross Taylor struggled terribly against Ishant Sharma, whohad bowled him in the first innings. It was left to Flynn to keep thescoreboard ticking and he did that with two guided fours behind point whenMunaf was introduced into the attack.It took New Zealand 42 overs to bring up 100 and Flynn then cut Ishantbeautifully through cover to bring up his half-century from 118 balls. Theapplause had barely died down though when Taylor, who had eked out justfour from 29 balls, slashed a Munaf delivery straight to Virender Sehwagat gully.Jesse Ryder was fortunate that the uppish drive with which he got off themark just evaded Harbhajan at cover, but there was nothing lucky about twoferocious pull strokes that went for four and six off Zaheer. But thoughtsof a sensational counterattack, as in the first innings, vanished soonbefore lunch as Harbhajan came round the wicket to trap him plumb infront.New Zealand’s plight would have been much worse if MS Dhoni had not putdown a catch off Flynn when he had made 55. Harbhajan turned away indisappointment as the chance went down, but it was only a matter of timebefore India made further inroads.James Franklin, selected on the basis of robust batting form as well ashis bowling, never looked at ease, and a scoop to point was safely takenby Munaf. When Flynn was caught at short leg off bat and pad, it broughtDaniel Vettori to the crease, but though he played two magnificentoff-drives, there was no repeat of the heroics that had saved face in thefirst innings. Harbhajan arrowed one in at the body and Vettori could onlyget a thin inside-edge that Dhoni did very well to hold on to after itbrushed the thigh.That gave Harbhajan his 23rd five-wicket haul and it was something of asurprise when Dhoni decided to take the new ball 10 minutes before tea.Though McCullum and O’Brien kept then kept India at bay for an hour, itwasn’t a costly gamble, and Sehwag wasn’t even required to open as GautamGambhir and Rahul Dravid finished things off with a flurry off fours. Onemore jinx ended by an Indian team that has now won four of its last sixTests.