India took a big step toward winning their first Test series in New Zealand since 1968 after racking up a 233-run lead early in their second innings of the third Test yesterday.
India were on 51 for one at stumps on the second day after dismissing New Zealand for 197 in reply to the tourists’ first innings total of 379.
Pace bowler Zaheer Khan did most of the damage, taking five for 65 with a mixture of swinging full pitched balls and a barrage of shorter deliveries.
PHOTO: AFP
Offspinner Harbhajan Singh was another of India’s heroes, bowling 23 consecutive overs at a scoring rate of less than two an over to end with three for 43.
Wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni played a captain’s role, taking six catches behind the stumps to support his bowlers on a Basin Reserve pitch that offered more bounce than the flat deck in the drawn second match in Napier.
There were only limited signs of resistance from New Zealand, mostly from Ross Taylor, who top-scored with 42, before he was given out caught behind by umpire Daryl Harper.
An attempted leg glance off Harbhajan ended in Dhoni’s gloves and Harper’s finger went up. While replays suggested Taylor did not get bat on ball, the batsman admitted later he had got a faint nick.
Opening batsman Tim McIntosh made a scratchy 32 before he was surprised by a rising short ball from Khan, which ballooned off the top of his bat to Yuvraj Singh at first slip.
Soon after lunch, New Zealand found themselves struggling at 80-3 and many hopes rested on burly batsman Jesse Ryder, the hero of the second Test with a double century that followed hard on the heels of a century in the series opener.
Ryder’s naturally aggressive instincts have been tempered since his introduction to Test cricket in October last year, but in a lapse of concentration he took a wild swipe at a short pitched Khan ball, sending a simple edge to Dhoni after scoring just 3.
India extended their lead in their second innings with Gautam Gambhir unbeaten at stumps on 28 and Rahul Dravid not out on 9.
Typically aggressive opener Virender Sehwag was the only wicket to fall, caught by Taylor at first slip after a short ball from Chris Martin seamed into him and ballooned off his glove.
Sehwag hit two consecutive fours off Martin before falling for 12 off just seven balls.
Shohei Ohtani and Clayton Kershaw on Friday joined their Los Angeles Dodgers teammates in sticking their fists out to show off their glittering World Series rings at a ceremony. “There’s just a lot of excitement, probably more than I can ever recall with the Dodger fan base and our players,” manager Dave Roberts said before Los Angeles rallied to beat the Detroit Tigers 8-5 in 10 innings. “What a way to cap off the first two days of celebrations,” Roberts said afterward. “By far the best opening week I’ve ever experienced. I just couldn’t have scripted it any better.” A choir in the
The famously raucous Hong Kong Sevens are to start today in a big test for a shiny new stadium at the heart of a major US$3.85 billion sports park in the territory. Officials are keeping their fingers crossed that the premier event in Hong Kong’s sporting and social calendar goes off without a hitch at the 50,000-seat Kai Tak Stadium. They hope to entice major European soccer teams to visit in the next few months, with reports in December last year saying that Liverpool were in talks about a pre-season tour. Coldplay are to perform there next month, all part of Hong Kong’s
Shohei Ohtani, Teoscar Hernandez and Tommy Edman on Thursday smashed home runs to give the reigning World Series champions the Los Angeles Dodgers a 5-4 victory over Detroit on the MLB’s opening day in the US. The Dodgers, who won two season-opening games in Tokyo last week, raised their championship banner on a day when 28 clubs launched the season in the US. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts shuffled his batting lineup with all four leadoff hitters finally healthy as Ohtani was followed by Mookie Betts, then Hernandez and Freddie Freeman in the cleanup spot, switching places with Hernandez. “There’s a Teoscar tax to
Marcus Rashford’s first goals for Aston Villa on Sunday inspired a 3-0 win against Preston North End that sent his side into the FA Cup semi-finals for the first time in 10 years. Rashford struck twice in the second half at Deepdale to end Preston’s stubborn resistance before Jacob Ramsey wrapped up Villa’s long-awaited return to the last four. Villa are to face Crystal Palace — 3-0 winners at Fulham on Saturday — in the semi-finals at Wembley Stadium in London. Revitalized since joining Villa on loan from Manchester United during the January transfer window, Rashford is beginning to show the form that