An abject batting surrender, save the last pair, underlined India's continuing downslide as they succumbed to New Zealand by 51 runs in their opening match of the Videocon Cupat Bulawayo today.
After the bowlers did reasonably well to restrict the Kiwis to 215 all out, the Indian top and middle order put up a pathetic batting show to be dismissed for 164 with fiery speedster Shane Bond (6-19) doing the bulk of the damage.
The Indians were in danger of crashing to their lowest ever one-day total when they were reeling at 44 for eight but J.P. Yadav (69) and Irfan Pathan (50) saved them the blushes by providing a semblance of respectability to the total with a 118-run partnership.
Saurav Ganguly and his men appeared totally clueless as Bond produced a devastating opening spell to leave the Indian batting in total disarray in what turned out to bea lopsided contest at the Queen's Sports Club ground.
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Yadav and Pathan ensured the defeat margin was not bigger with their 118-run ninth wicket stand from 144 balls. It was remarkable for India to come thus far as at one stage they were in real danger of finishing less than their worst ever score of 54 in one-day internationals.
From the Indian perspective, no praise can be too high for the ninth wicket pair who defied and even dominated the New Zealand attack in the middle overs before Bond came back to eject Pathan from the middle and in the next over Yadav hoiked one to mid-off.
Yadav, who had played only two ODIs so far, way back in 2002 against the West Indies at home, scored a creditable 69 from 92 balls with 11 fours and one six while Pathan smote 50 from 61 balls with three fours and a six.
Early Indian batsmen surrendered the advantage which their bowlers had seized so magnificently bowling first in early cool conditions which encouraged the swing of Pathan and Ashish Nehra.
It all began in Bond's second's over when captain Ganguly (5) and Venugopal Rao (0) were hustled out off successive deliveries and from there on, it was only a speedy downhill for the Indians.
Ganguly survived the first torrid over from Bond with most of the balls bouncing dangerously around his face but in the second an involuntarily defensive jab on the onside was gloved to the wicketkeeper behind the stumps. Rao, batting for only the second time in his career, was a wrong choice to weather the storm and a straight yorker found its target with the precision of a missile.
Rahul Dravid (5) became Bond's next victim when he shaped a cut and underedged on to his stumps. Yuvraj Singh followed him from the other end when he flirted with an outswinger from Andre Adams into second slipsto have India reeling at 19 for 4 in the seventh over.
Virender Sehwag and Mohammad Kaif offered a brief hope of revival before Bond again made his presence felt.
Kaif cut fiercely but straight into the hands of Craig McMillan at third man. Then Sehwag's square drive was astonishingly held by Hamish Marshall diving at the point region.
Ajit Agarkar (2) departed in the 14th over and it seemed only a matter of time before the innings would meet its dreadful end.
But Yadav and Pathan earned some batting points for themselves, more so the former who needed to make his presence felt.
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Earlier, New Zealand recovered from a horrendous start to post 215. They were once 36 for 5 in the 13th over before Jacob Oram (36), McMillan (54) and Brendon McCullum (49) hauled them up. Pathan (3 for 34) and Nehra (2 for 22) got the ball to swing a great deal in cool morning conditions and wickets fell in a flurry.
The first hour had done the damage but conditions were bound to get in favour ofthe batsmen and so it did as Oram (36) and McMillan (54) put on 91 runs for the sixth wicket from 100 balls.
Both had a lucky reprieve along the way, first when Yuvraj dropped McMillan backward of square leg off HarbhajanSingh on 20 and later Oram was put down by Yadav at cover-sweeper with Harbhajan again at the receiving end.
Only when the two batsmen seemed intent on making light of the disastrous start with some audacious strokes, luck intervened on India's behalf.
McMillan flicked one to the backward square leg fence and dashed down for the second with his partner's back towards him. Yuvraj from the fence threw in a sharp return and by the time Oram responded it was too late.
McMillan fell in the very next over when he mistimed a flick off Agarkar and a grateful Pathan accepted the chance at mid-on to leave New Zealand at 130 for 7 in the 30th over.
McCullum was the last batsman out holing out in the deep in a cavalier innings of 49 from 39 balls with five fours and a six.
PTI
