Sport

Match-winning knock by Badrinath

— PHOTO: K. Ramesh Babu

CAPTAIN’S KNOCK: Skipper S. Badrinath (left) led from the front, and along with Yusuf Pathan, ensured his team’s victory over New Zealand ‘A’ in the tri-series match in Hyderabad on Wednesday.

HYDERABAD: Indians made an easy target look difficult in perfect batting conditions before captain S. Badrinath came up with a match-winning knock (69 not out, 88 balls, 7x4, 2x6) to help his team record a five-wicket victory with a bonus point over New Zealand ‘A’ in the tri-series cricket tournament at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium here on Wednesday.

It was once again the deceptive pace and swing of Mark Gillespie which caused all the trouble early on when the host began its chase to overhaul a modest 168. Swapnil Asnodkar shouldered arms to an in-swinging delivery to be clean bowled, while Suresh Raina steered straight to point an away going delivery.

Uthappa, who lived dangerously hitting three fours in one over and a huge six over mid-wicket all off Michael Mason, perished failing to curb his aggressive intentions. He chipped one straight to mid-on.

Rohit Sharma, who essayed an elegant cover-drive in the previous over, clipped medium-pacer Elliott straight to short mid-wicket.

Badrinath, who came in at 60 for four with his team in some distress, took his time to settle down. He then moved into top gear essaying lofted strokes off Nathan McCullum to the straight boundary and one over long-off in the same over. He reached his half-century in style with a fine cover-drive off Gillespie. The 68-run stand for the fifth wicket with Dinesh Karthik turned out to be crucial.

Soon, Yusuf Pathan served a reminder of his big-hitting ability — swinging the first two balls he faced from off-spinner Jeetan Patel for huge sixes. Then he hit Neil Broom for a six and a four to give the finishing touch as India ‘A’ wrapped up the game to stay in contention as the action shifts to Chennai for the second round of matches. All three teams finished with five points each.

Earlier, New Zealand was struggling at eight for three by the seventh over before Peter Fulton (40, 69 balls, 3x4, 2x6) and Neil Broom (52, 57 balls, 5x4, 2x6) put on 89 off 109 balls for the fourth wicket. A partnership which saw both leg-spinner Piyush Chawla and medium-pacer Dhawal Kulkarni struggle.

Fulton pulled Dhawal nonchalantly for two huge sixes while Broom swung Chawla for two huge sixes. The leg-spinner looked out of sorts under attack. It took a brilliant throw from Raina to achieve the breakthrough. Raina ran all the way from deep square-leg, to leave Broom stranded going for the second run.

Off-spinner Yusuf Pathan scalped the prize wicket of Fulton when the batsman was deceived in flight and flicked straight to mid-wicket. The 48-run stand for the seventh wicket between Grant Elliott (35 not out, 61 balls, 3x4) and Nathan McCullum (29, 40 balls) lent some respectability to the total.

Importantly, Chawla came back strongly to pick up three wickets, with the googly which completely baffled Reece Young.

The scores: New Zealand ‘A’: B. Watling (run out) 1, M. Guptill c Karthik b Praveen Kumar 0, P. Fulton c Raina b Y. Pathan 40, J. Marshall c Asnodkar b Irfan Pathan 1, N. Broom (run out) 52, G. Elliott (not out) 35, R. Young b Chawla 0, N. McCullum (run out) 29, J. Patel lbw b Chawla 0, M. Mason c Karthik b Praveen Kumar 0, M. Gillespie lbw b Chawla 3; Extras: (w-6) 6; Total: (in 44.5 overs) 167.

Fall of wickets: 1-2, 2-7, 3-8, 4-97, 5-109, 6-110, 7-158, 8-159, 9-160.

India ‘A’ bowling: Irfan 8-1-23-1, Praveen 8-1-17-2, Dhawal 5-0-28-0, Chawla 9.5-0-43-3, Yusuf 9-0-38-1, Raina 5-0-18-0.

India ‘A’: R. Uthappa c Fulton b M Mason 24, S. Asnodkar b M. Gillespie 0, S. Raina c Guptill b M. Gillespie 4, S. Badrinath (not out) 69, R. Sharma c Broom b G. Elliott 11, D. Karthik c Young b J. Patel 21, Y. Pathan (not out) 31; Extras: (b-1, lb-2, w-3, nb-2) 8; Total: (for five wkts. in 34.2 overs) 168.

Fall of wickets: 1-1, 2-18, 3-34, 4-60, 5-128.

New Zealand ‘A’ bowling: Mason 7-1-41-1, Gillespie 9-2-34-2, Elliott 4-0-18-1, Patel 6-0-36-1, McCullum 6-1-24-0, Broom 2.2-0-12-0.

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