India beat New Zealand by 6 runs in a thriller, clinch T20 series 2-1

Agencies
November 8, 2017

Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 8: Indian bowlers defended a modest-looking 67 with admirable discipline as the hosts pipped New Zealand by six runs in the rain-hit third Twenty20 to claim the series 2-1, on Tuesday.

Playing spoilsport, the rains reduced the decisive match of the series and first ever International match at Greenfield Stadium to an eight-over per side affair.

Stroke-making was not easy under the conditions and all the hosts could manage to put on board was 67 for five, featuring only seven boundaries, including three sixes.

However, the Indian pacers and spinners bowled their hearts out in a short but exciting contest. They were well supported by agile fielders.

A wily Bhuvneshwar Kumar mixed it up nicely after being hit for a gigantic six by Colin Munro (7) while Jasprit Bumrah was splendid with his line and length.

Bhuvneshwar cleaned up Martin Guptill (1) with a slower one while Bumrah saw the back of dangerous Munro.

The early wickets pegged New Zealand back and they could never settle and eventually buckled under pressure.

Young leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal too contributed in choking the Kiwis, giving away only eight runs in his quota of two overs.

Hardik Pandya bowled the last over with the Kiwis requiring 19 runs. A massive six by Colin de Grandhomme threw tension in the air for the home fans but Pandya managed to pull it off.

Earlier, Both Shikhar Dhawan (6) and Rohit Sharma (8) struggled to time the ball, with Trent Boult having a perfect bowler-friendly platform to execute his skills.

Kane Williamson handed the ball to Mitchell Santner to bowl the second over and the left-arm spinner surprised the Indians with some vicious turn.

The Indian openers had no choice but to go after the bowlers and lost their wickets in successive balls from Tim Southee at the start of third over. Both of them were caught by Santner.

Virat Kohli tried to lift the gloom by smashing Ish Sodhi for a four and six but the Indian skipper could not clear the ropes in his second attempt and was caught by Boult at deep mid-wicket.

India managed 31 runs in the first four overs and now Shreyas Iyer (6) and Manish Pandey (17) needed to provide impetuous to the innings.

Pandey lofted Sodhi over long-on for a six but Sodhi, like the Rajkot match, used his variations nicely to trouble the Indians and had Iyer caught by Guptill.

Hardik Pandya (14 not out) made his presence felt with a massive hit off Santner but could not get any more big shot. Pandey became victim of exceptional athleticism from Santner at the deep.

Pandey hoicked Boult, attempting six, but a full- stretched air-borne Santner not only stopped the ball from soaring over the ropes but threw it towards de Grandhomme for an easy catch.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
April 5,2020

New Delhi, April 5: England batsman James Vince lashed out at people for not taking proper measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus pandemic and said people are going out as if "everything is normal".

"Just seen the pictures of people out and about today as if everything is normal. What selfish people, surely by now they've realised this is serious. Well done to everyone who's doing their bit and staying in," Vince tweeted.

On March 13, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said that Europe was now the 'epicentre' of the disease.

The death toll due to the novel coronavirus in the UK has exceeded 4,313 with at least 708 new deaths in the last 24 hours, the largest one-day rise since the start of the outbreak as confirmed by the Department of Health and Social Care.

The total number of cases in the UK as on Saturday is 41,903, a rise of 3,735 cases in the last 24 hours.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
May 6,2020

New Delhi, May 6: He has flattered to deceive on umpteen occasions but highly-rated wicketkeeper-batsman Sanju Samson says he has learnt to accept his failures in pursuit of the calm demeanour that former India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni possesses.

The 25-year-old from Kerala has always been talked about by the likes of Rahul Dravid and Gautam Gambhir but it hasn't translated into international success with only four T20 Internationals in his kitty in the last five years.

"I have learnt to understand and focus more on my strengths and (be more) accepting (of) the failures. I try to contribute to the team's cause and try to take the team over the line. I am learning to focus and control my emotions while batting like MS Dhoni," Samson said during a podcast organised by Rajasthan Royals.

He recently made a comeback in India's T20 side and it was a worthy experience for him.

"It was great to be a part of the Indian team again. To be a part of one of the best teams in the world, surrounded by players like Virat bhai and Rohit bhai, it was a fantastic experience," Samson said.

In one of the games in New Zealand, Samson was sent to bat in the Super Over, something which made him feel wanted in the Indian set-up.

"It was a great feeling to be trusted by the players such as Virat bhai and Rohit bhai to go out there and bat in the crucial moments. It's a great feeling when the team and the players consider you to be a match winner."

On a lighter note, Samson revealed that he refers to Steve Smith as "chachu" (uncle) after Brad Hodge once started calling him by that name.

"I share a very good relationship with 'Chachu' Steve Smith. He is one of the best brains in world cricket and we all enjoy a lot playing under him."

Asked what's the back story of the nickname, Samson said: "It started with Brad Hodge, he used to call Smith 'Chachu', then when Hodgy left, I started calling Smith 'Chachu'. In return Smith also started calling me 'Chachu'. We both really enjoy and continue calling each other that."

While Dhoni is his idol, he also loves watching Jos Buttler in Royals and makes notes on how the star Englishman prepares for games.

"I observe Jos especially given he too is a wicketkeeper-batsman. He's always working on his skills and his game and never sits idle.

"He's either working on his keeping, batting in the nets or running around the park. I love to observe and know how he thinks and prepares as a keeper before a game.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
March 23,2020

Colombo, Mar 23: Sri Lankan batting great Kumar Sangakkara has said he is currently in self-quarantine, following his government's guidelines for those recently returning from Europe, which has now become the epicentre of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The authorities are concerned over people returning from the most-affected COVID-19 countries in Europe not registering with the police and practising isolation.

"I have no symptoms or anything like that, but I'm following government guidelines," Sangakkara told News First.

"I arrived from London over a week ago and the first thing was there was a news bulletin saying that anyone who had travelled from within March 1 to 15 should register themselves with the police and undergo self-quarantine. I registered myself with the police."

The former captain said this even as the government confirmed there have been at least three cases of recent returnees attempting to hide the novel coronavirus symptoms from authorities.

Both Sangakkara and his former teammate Mahela Jayawardene have been active on social media, urging Sri Lankans to avoid panic and to exercise proper social distancing, as the country went into curfew on Friday evening.

Sri Lanka has so far reported more than 80 active COVID-19 positive cases in the country.

Across the world, the number of infected has crossed three lakh besides a death toll of more than 14,000 people.

Meanwhile, former Australia pacer Jason Gillespie has also gone into a two-week isolation after returning from the United Kingdom.

Gillespie, who is the head coach at Sussex, had been in Cape Town with the team for a pre-season tour, which was cut short as a result of the coronavirus outbreak.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.