Sunday, March 8, 2009

INDIA VS NEWZELAND 3rd ODI :TENDULKAR BLASTED NZ GUIDING INDIA OVER A 58 RUN VICTORY OVER NZ


Sachin Tendulkar made 163 from 133 balls before retiring hurt to spur India to a 58-run win over New Zealand in Sunday's third one-day international.Tendulkar's ton helped India to 392-4, and they then bowled out New Zealand for 334 in a match that included 31 sixes — the most ever in a one-day international.Tendulkar reached his 43rd century in one-day internationals and his 91st century for India in all forms of the game, before leaving the field in the 45th over with an abdominal injury.In reply, New Zealand's Jesse Ryder scored 105, including a century from 72 balls, in a 166-run opening partnership with Brendon McCullum (71) to put New Zealand ahead of the demanding required run rate at the start of their innings.The openers gave New Zealand faint hopes of victory, given the flat pitch and short boundaries, but those hopes were all but extinguished when seven wickets fell for 52 runs between the 22nd and 34th overs.New Zealand had slumped to 251-8 in the 38th over before Kyle Mills smashed 54 from 32 balls and Tim Southee 32 from 20 in an 83-run ninth wicket partnership which briefly revived the threat.Seam bowler Munaf Patel was ordered out of the attack by the umpires after he bowled two high full tosses in the 45th over. Off-spinner Yusuf Pathan bowled out Patel's uncompleted over and captured Mills' wicket, hastening New Zealand's dismissal for 334.The match produced a total of 726 runs, the second-highest aggregate in one-day cricket internationals, eclipsed only by the 872 runs scored by Australia and South Africa in 2006.

"Frankly, before starting I thought 390 or 380 could not have been an inappropriate score," India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said."Our bowling was not up to the mark. When the ball is old and not reversing it's very difficult to bowl yorkers and that's the time you have to use all your experience to bowl in the right areas."Tendulkar's innings included 16 fours and five sixes or 94 runs from boundaries and helped India to the highest total in a one-day international in New Zealand, surpassing New Zealand's 350 against Australia.Tendulkar's score was the second-highest individual total in a one-day international in New Zealand, after the 180 of Australia's Matthew Hayden, and ensured India reached their highest total against New Zealand, surpassing their 376-2 at Hyderabad in 1999.The score was India's highest against a major cricket nation in one-day internationals, having scored 413-5 against Bermuda in 2006. It was the ninth highest total by any country in one-day international cricket.India's 18 sixes was also an innings record in a clash of Test-playing nations and the 31 sixes was a record for all ODIs.Tendulkar reached 50 off 59 balls, a century off 101 balls and 150 off 127 balls but was clearly impeded in the latter part of his innings by what appeared to be strained abdominal muscles.No word was immediately available from the Indian team on the seriousness of his injury.Tendulkar put on 138 for the third wicket with Yuvraj Singh who made a superb 87 and a further 138 with Dhoni who made 68.India particularly savaged young seam bowler Tim Southee who conceded 105 runs from 10 overs, to become only the second bowler to concede more than 100 runs in a 50-over ODI. Australia's Mick Lewis gave up 113 from 10 overs against South Africa in 2006."It was amazing batting, probably what everyone in New Zealand wanted to watch," said New Zealand's stand-in captain Brendon McCullum, who sent India in to bat."We'll take a little bit of pride out of the way we came back."Regular captain Daniel Vettori did not play so he could be with his wife for the pending birth of their first child.


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