Indeed, it has devolved into such a miserable journey that they have gone without a single conquest, barely tying one ODI and suffering the ignominy of a draw from a won Test. Look at the bigger picture, and you will see that they haven't won an away Test under MS Dhoni's stewardship over three years, across five countries, suggesting something is seriously wrong.
Yes, there were signs of an oasis at least a few times during this treacherous spell; but each time they stretched their hands out, they went up in a puff like a mirage.
No doubt, India were thwarted by a scorching sun in this Test, and a highly committed guardian: Brendon McCullum. The NZ captain protected his country's 'treasure' with his own life, warding off every attack like a valiant warrior; he showed a cunning streak too, shunning the temptation to hit back and clean out India when they were down.
With a 325-run lead already at his disposal on the fifth and final morning, McCullum could have dared India to an open battle; but he chose to put his team deep in an impenetrable fortress before embarking on any such misadventure.
Of course, there was the little matter of becoming New Zealand's 'greatest bat', their first ever triple centurion at that, and also allowing debutant Jimmy Neesham to create his own piece of history.
The declaration eventually came, about 20 minutes before lunch, giving India an impossible target of 435 to chase in 67 overs on a dead pitch; Murali Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan saw through those four overs meekly, indicating that they had abandoned any plans of an ambush. Not surprisingly, after a much-needed meal, they both succumbed in the space of four deliveries.
A buzz arose in the stands, raising the possibility of a sensational collapse, or an even more miraculous victory. Cheteshwar Pujara's fall in the 23rd over, followed by a chance off Rohit Sharma suddenly made it a real eventuality; but then, India stirred to life to avert any more casualties, or the ultimate shame.
Virat Kohli went on the offensive and flayed the Kiwi attack till a truce was called to escape with a face-saving draw.
The over-confident batsman, who was guilty of throwing away his wicket in the first Test, and thereby probably that match, and also of dropping a catch when McCullum hadn't even settled down, and thereby this match, was in fact lucky to engineer this result; in the 13th over, he nicked one to the wicket-keeper but enjoyed the indulgence of umpire Steve Davis.
Who knows what paths the game would have traversed if India had been reduced to 31 for three? Thereafter, he was merciless, unleashing strokes all around the ground to reach his sixth Test hundred (105 not out: 15x4, 1x6); Rohit Sharma too relished a second life, still in single digits, when Tim Southee failed to take a tough return catch. He made it till the match was finally called off, with India on 166 for three, after 52 overs.
Earlier in the morning, the clouds materialised from nowhere as if to make India weep even more; the pitch may still have been comatose but the conditions could suddenly become hostile. Resuming on 571 for 6, McCullum (281) and Neesham (67) were clearly anxious: they knew that it could get tricky, especially if the nerves played their own games.
The captain took his own time for each delivery, trying to calm his pounding heart and breathe energy into his exhausted body; he got support from the crowds who cheered every run.
0 comments:
Post a Comment