India look to wrap up the series by Cricketarchive Staff Reporter

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Player:	JD Ryder, I Sharma, SR Tendulkar
Event:	India in New Zealand 2008/09

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DateLine: 10th March 2009

 

India will go into the fourth One-dayer against New Zealand tomorrow missing the services of Sachin Tendulkar. Already acquiring an unassailable lead in the series India will be looking forward to wrap up the series by taking an invincible 3-0 lead. Tendulkar has been ruled out of the match due to an abdomen injury but the visitors have the batting might to still get past the Kiwis who have no option but to win the match to stay afloat in the series. The MRI scan done on India's premier batsman has revealed internal bleeding in his stomach.

 

The momentum gained by the Indians since the Twenty20 series will make it extremely difficult for the Kiwis to put a brake on the marauding visitors. Vettori and his men will have to put their plans into action so as to stop the Indian batsmen who has been quite unstoppable. Mahendra Singh Dhoni's troops have been playing a sort of firebrand cricket as there is self-belief, confidence and camaraderie. The Kiwis would take comfort from the fact that Tendulkar, who had aggravated an abdomen injury during his delightful 163 before he retired hurt at Christchurch, would be rested. However, the return of Ishant Sharma, who should replace Munaf Patel, will lend more thrust to the Indian attack, which seemed to wilt under the early and late Kiwi onslaught in the third ODI at Christchurch. The pacer, who had hurt his right shoulder while fielding in the second T20, has not played a game. But he had a good bowl at the nets, suggesting he was ready to reestablish his partnership with Zaheer Khan.

 

It will be an interesting battle between this highly-regarded Indian new ball pair and the Kiwi openers, Brendon McCullum and Jesse Ryder. Ryder's pyrotechnics in the previous game was a revelation as he literally butchered Zaheer, Praveen and Munaf to various parts of the ground. Ryder is one to watch. While thundering to his maiden One-day hundred (105), the burly left-hander made it loud and clear to bowlers around the globe that he could destroy any attack on his day. But he has to be a lot more consistent to win the respect of the bowling tribe. New Zealand do have a couple of more young batters who could make a mark in international cricket soon. But at this point in time, it is the Indian batting which holds court in the series.

 

Teams (From):

 

India : Mahendra Singh Dhoni (c), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Yusuf Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Praveen Kumar, Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma, Rohit Sharma, Irfan Pathan, Pragyan Ojha, Dinesh Karthik.

 

New Zealand : Daniel Vettori (captain), Brendon McCullum, Jesse Ryder, Martin Guptill, Ross Taylor, Jacob Oram, Grant Elliot, Peter McGlashan, Iain O'Brien, Kyle Mills, Ewen Thompson, Jeetan Patel.

 

Umpires : Rudi Koertzen, Gary Baxter.

 

Third umpire : Evan Watkin.

 

Fourth umpire : C Gaffaney.

 

Match Referee : Ranjan Madugalle.