'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
India
Virender Sehwag - He did what he does best in subcontinent – provide India with a quick start in the 1st innings. His 47 at the top of the order was facilitated by some dropped chances by New Zealand, but nevertheless, he didn’t exactly disappoint with the bat in this game. But his most memorable contribution in the match came at 1st slip on the 4th day when he took a spectacular catch to dismiss India’s 1st innings thorn James Franklin. Sehwag had Dhoni to partly obstruct his view, the ball was already past him and yet he displayed such reflexes, latching on to the ball fast travelling past him with his outstretched right hand, it made Dhoni do a small jig in celebration to the dismissal. With 47 runs off 41 balls, 4 catches (3 in the 2nd innings), he had a good match overall. 7.5/10.0
Gautam Gambhir - The 1st wicket to fall for India in the 1st innings, he perished the same frustrating way as he has been doing all Australian summer and before that. The beautiful cover drive to Boult was balanced by an ugly looking poke outside off. 5.0/10.0
Cheteshwar Pujara - He wasn’t a surprise package, but watching him bat was the best way to remember the man whom he was replacing. His 159 runs were acquired with such sensible and stylish batting, it made all of 468 minutes spent watching him bat memorable. It was dreadful to see him go limping after he was hit flush on the same knee which was operated upon so recently. Full marks for the effort and the entertainment. 10.0/10.0
Sachin Tendulkar - Coming back to international cricket after a long layoff, the Master Blaster didn’t make a great return and was worked over by a buoyant Trent Boult in an over of relentless inswing bowling. His one over at the end of Day 2 only brought great memories and huge noise from the crowd, which also died down after a series of long hops were doled out to James Franklin who deposited one over mid-wicket boundary. Not a performance to remember individually. 5.0/10.0
Virat Kohli - The only uncertainty regarding Kohli prior to the match was his position in the batting order. His 1st innings 58 in a partnership of 125 with Pujara was a highlight of this match. There was the same intensity and control in his game which has come to be the hallmark of this player. The only disappointing note in this fixture will be his dismissal after he looked set for a long innings. Unable to control his urge to dominate, he perished after a well made 58. Some of his catches at short backward square leg and slips were controversial, yet all 4 were memorable and along with Sehwag, Indian fans will thank him for not letting them miss the Dravid-Laxman duo crouched around the opposition batsmen. 8.0/10.0
Suresh Raina - He missed out on a great chance to cash in the 1st innings and was caught down the leg side after making just 3 runs. The 25 minutes he spent at the crease failed to give any clear indication as to how he would fare against the short ball and was largely unused as a part-time spinner with just 4 overs in the match. The only noticeable appearances he made in this match was when congratulating bowlers wholeheartedly with a high-five, smile and a hug. Also, gatecrashing post match-post presentation interviews with man-of-the-match award winners didn’t do his ratings much good. 4.5/10.0
MS Dhoni - Jeetan Patel operated his field to his liking for the majority of the 1st innings, for there was no threat of Sehwag and even Sachin didn’t face much of the off-spinner. Dhoni edged him to Taylor at 1st slip on the 2nd ball he faced and was let off on a day when the New Zealand captain was gifting lives to Indian batsmen. Next over, the first thing Dhoni did was to deposit the 2nd ball from the offie over long on into the stands. The irritating mid-on in the circle was finally sent to his rightful place on the boundary. A much subdued innings of 73 saw India past the 400 mark and just when he had set his mind for the final assault, holed out at mid-off trying to clear the field. Behind the wicket, he had some painful moments with the uneven bounce off Zaheer and Umesh hitting him on the wrists, but had one stumping to his name as he read both Ojha and Ashwin brilliantly behind the stumps. As Sourav Ganguly pointed out later, Indian captains don’t need to do much in such conditions where your spinners are running over the opposition. Yet, it would be a disservice to Dhoni if he wasn’t lauded for keeping on the pressure by giving his spinners a free run and an attacking field. Good job, captain! 8.0/10.0
Ravichandran Ashwin - 12/85, Man of the match, best bowling performance against New Zealand by an Indian bowler, highest number of wickets after 7 matches by an Indian, and a handy 37 with the bat – R Ashwin actually came up with a performance to snatch the title of the best player of the match from Pujara. He deserves all the accolades but owns his success to the less talked about Pragyan Ojha who took the first wicket in both innings and maintained pressure throughout. Full marks to the Manchester United fan from Chennai for leaving the Kiwis red-faced. 10.0/10.0
Zaheer Khan - The only frontline bowler from both teams to go wicketless in the match, it wasn’t a bad performance at all from the Indian pace spearhead. His bowling figures of 11-4-33-0 and 13-5-17-0 suggest that he kept the pressure on even when the spinners weren’t in duty. But what is not reflected in the stats are the conditions which weren’t suitable for swing and the slow nature of the pitch which left the Indian pace duo largely under-utilized. The closest he got to a wicket was when his 5th ball of the match kissed the off-stump and failed to budge the bails off their grooves. Indian fans shouldn’t worry too much with Zaheer’s lack of wickets in the match. He manages a par score in the ratings. 6.0/10.0
Umesh Yadav - He was the other bowler who didn’t have much to do in the match apart from making some special appearances. His moment of the match came with the dismissal of the frustrating Brendon McCullum in the 2nd innings. For all the relief it provided an Indian camp keeping an eye on overhead conditions, the decision in itself was controversial as McCullum had edged the delivery onto the pads before he was adjudged lbw. Though it was practically impossible for the umpire to have noticed it since his bat hit the pad almost simultaneously, it was yet another call in the match where one felt for the Kiwis, despite their lead-footed approach to spin bowling. Umesh Yadav kept his pace going, hit late 140s regularly and had luck on his side to get lone wickets in each innings. Good marks for not getting bogged down by the slowness of the pitch and for some slower ball variations to trick the batsmen. 7.0/10.0
Pragyan Ojha - The partner in crime with Ashwin, he bamboozled the Kiwis in equal measures and was unfortunate to have ended up with half the tally of Ashwin’s wickets. The left-arm spinner was brilliant in drawing the batsmen out of the crease and his dismissals in the first innings of McCullum (driving into the hands of Kohli at cover) and Bracewell (charging down the pitch, missing the ball turning and bouncing away from him and Dhoni shattering the stumps behind him) were classical dismissals which any left-hand spinner will relish. After successfully demolishing West Indies and now New Zealand along with Ashwin, this new pair of spinners will have their work cut out against England and Australia. Finger lickin’ good stuff coming up! 9.0/10.0
New Zealand
Brendon McCullum - New Zealand needed a positive start from him in the 1st innings and he looked on course with a 26 ball 21. But with the introduction of spin, he failed to take the conditions into account, was lured by Ojha on only the 3rd ball he faced from the spinner and caught in the covers by Kohli. But he came back in the 2nd innings with much more resolve and played out the best session for Kiwis in the match along with Kane Williamson when the duo added 51 runs in the 1st session of Day 4, denying any opening to the Indian bowlers. Sadly, an incorrect decision from the umpire resulted in his dismissal. Above average marks to him in the Kiwi camp for showing what was needed from the batsmen on this pitch, but failing to go the distance. 6.0/10.0
Martin Guptill - Despite being unlucky in the 2nd innings for the contentious lbw decision, Guptill clearly didn’t show any application by deciding to not play the delivery by Ojha. Ashwin would thank Guptill for providing a great start to his spell in the match by edging to Kohli on the first ball from the spinner. Despite holding onto some important catches in the first innings in slips, Martin Guptill was all at sea against the turning ball. 4.5/10.0
Kane Williamson - This youngster is the most talented of the lot New Zealand have and his partnership with Franklin in the 1st innings and McCullum in the 2nd, will be the highlight of New Zealand’s batting performance in the match. He was deservedly the only half-centurion in the Kiwi side. He’ll be disappointed for running out of patience in the 1st innings, but the centurion from Ahmedabad in 2010 is the biggest threat to India in this series. 7.0/10.0
Ross Taylor - If the horror show in the slips on first 2 days was not enough for Ross Taylor to deem this Test ‘bad’, his outings with the bat in both innings will leave him speechless for the want of a word to describe his individual performance in this match. Failing to keep it down on the flick in the first innings, and horrors of horrors, leaving one from Ashwin to see his off stump pegged back, will torment him in the coming days. Poor work from the man at the helm. 1.0/10.0
Daniel Flynn - Coming in at number 5, he was the most unimproved batsman after Ross Taylor. The fact that he got out to the same bowler, in the exact same fashion in both innings, trying to sweep and missing the ball to be adjudged lbw, shows that he has lot to learn from the likes of McCullum, Williamson and Franklin to know a thing or two about batting against spin. 3.0/10.0
James Franklin - Frankly, Franklin looked like the only player from New Zealand who enjoyed being in the middle. With patience and a continuous smile on his face, he batted in the 1st innings like he was enjoying watching everyone sink around him as he gave lessons in batting against spin. Apart from an edge early on in the innings, there was hardly any false stroke till he ran out of partners. Watching him bat was equally enjoyable and irritating as an Indian supporter. He was included in the squad as an allrounder but impressed much more with the bat than the ball. His six off the half tracker from his Mumbai Indian teammate Sachin Tendulkar at the end of Day 2 showed that batting was not all about blocking and he knew when to really punish the bad ones. In the 2nd innings, he got an absolute ripper of a delivery from Ashwin and a shocker of a catch from Sehwag – if it makes any sense, he didn’t deserve getting out to anything less than that. Should be promoted in the order for the next match. 6.5/10.0
Kruger van Wyk - The short keeper didn’t contribute much with the bat, misjudging a low bouncer from Umesh Yadav to get lbw in the first innings and showing everyone that he had no mood to fight in the 2nd when an audacious attempt at reverse hit to Ashwin found him lbw yet again in the match. He was the culprit when he failed to go for a catch which bisected him and Taylor at first slip off Sehwag’s edge. He’ll need to rise to the occasion to justify his place ahead of BJ Watling in the side. 3.0/10.0
Doug Bracewell - The pacer accounted for Sehwag’s wicket, but not before he was carted away for boundaries from the dashing opener’s blade. He was the most expensive of the lot (including Kane Williamson) and the mystery cramps just after bowling 10 overs in the 1st innings showed short of physical preparedness for the Test. Easy fodder for the spinners while batting, he had a largely forgettable Test match. The Hobart sensation will have to pull up his socks for the next match for sure. 3.5/10.0
Jeetan Patel - When post-match critics talked about the difference between Jeetan Patel and the Indian spinners, the former’s inability to bowl slower through the air was highlighted the most. In his defense, the pitch on Day 1 was very different from how it acted later on. He was the most successful New Zealand bowler and the most economical too. His dismissals of Dhoni and Ashwin were something he’ll cherish from the match. If New Zealand win the toss in Bangalore, and the pitch offers similar turn, he’ll be a force to reckon with for Indian batsmen. 6.0/10.0
Trent Boult - The way he worked over Sachin Tendulkar, alone should get him praise. Trent Boult was the most lethal pacer in the match. He found the swing going on Day 1 and troubled the batsmen continuously. It was a major fault on Ross Taylor’s part to deny an attacking partner from the other end to him when Kohli joined Pujara at the crease. Good effort, and great talent. 6.5/10.0
Chris Martin - The ‘Phantom’ was ever present while bowling. Though he persisted mechanically, he couldn’t draw Pujara out of his Jedi mindset. His bowling figures of 27-4-76-1 weren’t bad, but they highlighted his inability to be more than a container in this match. His spell in Ahmedabad is well remembered and he’ll hope for a similar performance in Bangalore. With the bat, his appearance at the crease alone was enough to give shivers to the future bowlers from trying to bat world over. 4.0/10.0
