***Official*** India in New Zealand 2013/14

[Daemon]

Kip, you think this will make it's way to the vault eventually?

 

[Daemon]

Especially important that Ishant bowls terribly today, appears their having a bowling selection of sorts.

Won't be surprised if we see 3 seamers + Ashwin and Jadeja in the first game actually.

 

[Kippax]

Kip, you think this will make it's way to the vault eventually?

They have kept warm-up games out of the vault in the past, until much later. Otherwise, I've seen Whangarei's footage appear in the vault within a couple of hours of stumps.

 

[Daemon]

Good to see Jono has decided to arrive in NZ early. Kohli must've spotted his name on the XI and decided not to play this game.

 

[Shri]

Pandey seems to have done okay. Yet to see him bowl long spells.

 

[Flem274*]

Just rewatched Henry's last FC 5fer in the vault (all 15 overs). Geez, unlike Southee, Milne or Bennett there isn't really any one attribute that defines him. He does enough of everything without being extreme at any of them. A bit of swing, a bit of bounce, a bit of seam, enough pace, probes outside off, really good action. He regulaly hits the splice and the glove and works batsmen over testing their off stump awareness. In many ways he's exactly like many stereotypical kiwi trundlers except he's 10 clicks quicker on average than the medium pacers of yesteryear.

He's probably the closest thing we've had to Michael Mason since he retired mixed in with a bit of Tim Southee outswing, except he's a bit nippier than the Mug and has reached the "too good for domestix" level in his early 20s, not his late 20s.

I think he's either going to fail hard or be really, really good. He's the sort of bowler who will get underrated initially even if he is good by fans and media as well because of what he is.

 

[Kippax]

Zaheer, Pandey, Ashwin impress on Day 1 | Match Reports | Cricket Blogs, Opinions & Analysis | Wisden India

The Cobham Oval is one of the more picturesque cricket grounds in the world. The Mackesy Bush Reserve provides a verdant backdrop on the eastern side, the Te Matau ā Pohe, or ‘fishhook of Pohe’ looms large to the south. The Big Bridge opens to allow for the passage of ferries from the industrial side of Whangarei to the airport, a showstopper that drew almost all 70,000 people in this tiny town when it was inaugurated last year.

It was in this idyllic setting, with 500 people watching one of Whangarei’s biggest events from grass banks and corporate tents alike, that India sought to fine-tune their preparations for the two-Test series against New Zealand, starting in Auckland on February 6. Up against them was a youthful New Zealand XI, devoid of big names but high on ambition with only Anton Devcich, the captain, having played international cricket.

The 97-overs-a-day two-day fixture doesn’t have first-class status, obviously, but in many ways, runs and wickets out of this fixture isn’t what the Indians would have been looking for in any case. The focus was on getting into the white clothing mindset, and while not too much should be read into what happened out in the middle, India had enough reason to come away with a few boxes ticked after the first day’s action on Sunday (February 2).

Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Virat Kohli, given the game off, have stayed back in Auckland, but had the captain and his heir apparent been around, they would have watched with some satisfaction Zaheer Khan finding rhythm, Ishant Sharma bending his back, R Ashwin unafraid to give the ball air. Dhoni, in particular, might also have been pleasantly surprised at how well Ishwar Pandey bowled, especially after declaring that the management group “will need to work slightly more on him”.

The quality of the opposition must be taken into account, so it makes little sense to be all gung-ho, and, in any case, the Indians failed to bowl the opposition out in 78 overs. Robert O’Donnell, the New Zealand XI opener, was particularly impressive during his two-hour stay, and there was enough stolid resistance from George Worker, the other opener, and Jono Hickey. In fact, when Worker and O’Donnell were in the middle of an 81-run association, the bowling looked slightly bereft of ideas on a track where the ball went ramrod straight on pitching, but once Ashwin procured the breakthrough, the bowling unit looked a lot more settled.

To Zaheer first. As is his wont, he started somewhat slowly, taking a little time finding his bearings. Once he settled down, he bowled as well as the conditions allowed him to. Three six-over spells with no let-up in intensity suggested that physically, he is on top of his game; that those 18 overs came on an intensely hot day with not a cloud in sight was another feather in his fitness cap. Zaheer is no longer express these days; he didn’t so much as attempt to blast the batsmen out as sort out his own bowling, and will reflect on 18-1-42-1 as a good day’s work, all told.

Ishant was short in his first spell, being pulled repeatedly and with devastating effect by O’Donnell, one of three boys in the playing XI who will represent the country in the Under-19 World Cup later this month in the UAE. He also repeatedly overstepped; ten no-balls in 14 overs did him no credit but after a poor first spell, he corrected his length and was infinitely better as the afternoon progressed.

Umesh Yadav was quick without looking threatening, but it was Pandey who caught the eye the most. In his first competitive bowl on tour, he straightaway found the right length and line, keeping it in the corridor outside off and getting it to shape just a little bit away from the right-hand batsmen. He also seemed to come on to the bat a little quicker; he might be work in progress still but if he continues to progress along the right lines, he could throw his hat into the ring faster than many believe.

With Ravindra Jadeja too given the game off – alongside Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammed Shami, who have only been earmarked to bat – Ashwin was the lone spinner. Hearteningly, he eschewed his round-the-stumps mode of operation, got some serious dip and procured a bit of turn, though he did feed off the uncertainty of the New Zealand XI batsmen.

Shikhar Dhawan and M Vijay got a taste of what lies ahead as they were put through the wringer late in the evening, once New Zealand XI declared at 262 for 9. Tipene Friday and Eli Tugaga, the two big new-ball bowlers, let fly a barrage of short deliveries that thudded into Tim Seifert’s gloves; the pace wasn’t inconsiderable either. Neither batsman was unduly troubled as the Indians reached 41 without loss at close of a very long day, with the promise of a welcome searching examination on Monday looming large for the entire batting group.

O?Donnell warms up for U19 WC in style | News | Cricket Blogs, Opinions & Analysis | Wisden India

Busy working out individual and team strategies with the Under-19 World Cup looming, Robert O’Donnell got the shock of his life earlier in the week when he was summoned to play for New Zealand XI against the visiting Indians in the two-day match at the Cobham Oval here. “Tears of joy” when the call came gave way to confidence and delight after he made 80 on Sunday’s (February 2) first day to warm up for the ‘lesser’ battles ahead in the junior World Cup.

O’Donnell, the Under-19 captain, was aggressive without looking to be so as he handled the experienced Indian bowling attack with great élan. He hasn’t made his first-class debut yet, but on the back of this innings, it can be safely said that it won’t be long before the breakthrough arrives.

As much at ease in front of the media as he was facing up to Zaheer Khan and company, O’Donnell broke the Indian bowling down beautifully. “I didn’t actually get to face (Ishwar) Pandey but he bowled very well to the left-handers. He looked a very handy, steady bowler. In terms of pace, (Umesh) Yadav hurried us up a little bit and that’s why he got a wicket with the short ball; he also swung the ball early. Ishant (Sharma) also bounced the ball, which is what he is going to do given his height. As soon as you start looking to play them down the ground, you give yourself a better option,” he said.

“Zaheer bowled very well to the left-right combination. Obviously, he moves the ball both ways. He had a very good mindset in terms of bowling to the left-hander. He sort of set him up, swinging the ball in and out. We always knew that he was going to be smart in what he did; he is not, obviously, a young campaigner. We just looked to try and play him as straight as possible, try and leave well. George Worker left very well early in his innings, which actually just made Zaheer bowl just a little bit tighter, which allowed us to get ones on the leg side.”

Almost in awe of how R Ashwin operated, O’Donnell, clearly not having played spin of such quality before, said, “Ashwin bowled extremely well today. He only bowled a handful of overs but he just knew exactly what he was doing with the ball. Playing spin is a really big thing. You guys know what you are doing in terms of what the pitch is like. Today, we had a pitch that bounced and Ashwin actually bowled a lot of topspinners, which is a lot harder to get down the wicket to because of the bounce. Just the way the Indian spinners adapt very quickly and the way they change the pace depending on the wickets they are bowling on makes them very hard to play.”

For him and the other two boys from the Under-19 squad that are playing this game – Shawn Hicks and Tim Seifert – this was a massive game, O’Donnell said. “Every opportunity we get out here is just going to be an absolutely learning curve for us. There are a few of the Under-19 boys that are taking part here today and tomorrow. The wicket is flat as day, so tomorrow could be a bit frightening with this Indian batting line-up coming up. It was nice to spend a bit of time in the crease,” he explained.

A century was there for the taking when O’Donnell was caught smartly at gully by Ajinkya Rahane, chop-cutting Ishant. “It would have been amazing to have a hundred against an Indian Test team, everybody sort of dreams about that stuff. Unfortunately it was not to be today but, hopefully, hopefully, I will get another chance in the future some day,” he said. “Going into the World Cup, it was nice to get some runs. You don’t have to go back and think, am I doing something wrong technically. When you are not going well in cricket, it is actually tough to do – to forget about the technical side and just move on with the mental side of it. Obviously, it was lovely to score runs today, but things are going to change over there (in the UAE).”

Pandey, not as eloquent as O’Donnell, was thrilled with his first outing of the tour that fetched him three wickets. “It was a good opportunity for me,” said the Madhya Pradesh pacer who idolises Glenn McGrath. “I tried to bowl like I did in the domestic season, I wanted to try hard and do well for the team. I am glad I will get more opportunities in future.”

Pandey, one of only two players from the 16-man One-Day International squad not to play a game – the other being Amit Mishra, said he had “not been frustrated” at missing out. “It’s a team decision and all our bowlers are very good,” said Pandey. “It is up to the team management to rotate bowlers. During that time, I worked on my basics, worked with Duncan (Fletcher, the coach) and Joey (Dawes, the bowling coach) to rectify minor mistakes. They were very helpful. I also learned a lot about how to bowl in different formats of the game.”

Pandey, who like others before him, said he benefited mentally by having Zaheer around him, and spoke of his approach with ball in hand. “My mindset was that whenever I bowled, I should bowl a good line and bowl good balls. I don’t try to bowl to take wickets, I try to bowl in good areas and create pressure,” he said.

 

[hendrix]

Gee, O'Donnell really knows his cricket, doesn't he?

 

[harsh.ag]

It's not an easy choice between Ashwin and Jadeja, but I hope they both are chosen. Ashwin, honestly and weirdly, is as good a batman on a NZ pitch as Rohit. So why not? Pace attack: please no Ishant and Zaheer. Zaheer has no pace, and swing and experience only go so far. Take Shami and Umesh for sure.

 

[hendrix]

I feel like Umesh's natural length will be too short for NZ conditions. Pandey sounds like he might be good.

 

[Prince EWS]

Yadav's natural length is actually pretty full; his problem if anything is bowling too many half volleys when he's not getting any movement and bleeding runs. His form has been way down since coming back from injury so I don't think I'd pick him right now but he'd be well suited to the conditions if he was fit and firing.

 

[hendrix]

hmmm. Dhoni really doesn't like any waywardness too, even if it comes with wicket taking ability. Umesh unlikely to play.

I understand why India might go for Zaheer Khan because it would be a pretty good chance that he'd get Rutherford rather easily. But there aren't too many other lefties in the NZ lineup unless Ross' Mrs has the baby, in which case Jesse will be at 4.

 

[Flem274*]

Ishant can't play. He doesn't bowl full and he's not good enough at the back of a length stuff to do it effectively on NZ pitches. Bhuvi is too along the wicket - once it isn't swinging he's going to be fodder at Eden Park. Zaheer, Shami, Yadav imo. Don't know **** about Panda.

 

[Dan]

Just rewatched Henry's last FC 5fer in the vault (all 15 overs). Geez, unlike Southee, Milne or Bennett there isn't really any one attribute that defines him. He does enough of everything without being extreme at any of them. A bit of swing, a bit of bounce, a bit of seam, enough pace, probes outside off, really good action. He regulaly hits the splice and the glove and works batsmen over testing their off stump awareness. In many ways he's exactly like many stereotypical kiwi trundlers except he's 10 clicks quicker on average than the medium pacers of yesteryear.

Yeah, what initially struck me in watching him in the ODI was that he is an 'enough' bowler. Not out-and-out spectacular in any facet of fast bowling, but good enough at them all. Like a significantly lower quality Steyn in that all-round bowling ability, perhaps?

In some ways I think it's a strength, as you're not going to be found out as quickly if you're challenging batsmen in a variety of areas IMO.

 

[Jono]

I feel like Umesh's natural length will be too short for NZ conditions. Pandey sounds like he might be good.

Nah he bowls full.

 

[harsh.ag]

Shami, Umesh, and Pandey for me. Better a unpredictable Umesh than a sure-failure Zaheer.

 

[Blocky]

That bowling attack doesn't fill Kiwi hearts with terror... except the spin bowlers, but we're becoming more and more capable against them.

India will need to win this through scoring big, quickly. They need scoreboard pressure because with all respect, I just don't see that bowling attack taking twenty against NZ any other way.

 

[hendrix]

disagree with that. Shami, Zak, Umesh are all wicket taking bowlers.

I'm more fearful of their seamers than I am their spinners.

 

[NZTailender]

Geeze, O'Donnell does sound like he knows his stuff. Wonder if that translates as a good captaining brain. Future BC captain.

 

[RxGM]

Geeze, O'Donnell does sound like he knows his stuff. Wonder if that translates as a good captaining brain. Future BC captain.

Bit early to curse him with that tag, look what happened to How & Fulton when they were labelled future BC Captain.