Thus far, conditions at the start of the first game of a seven ODI series between New Zealand and India are more Test-oriented than limited overs style.
A pitch with fair bounce and movement further juiced by overnight rain, plus an overhead cloud cover, has meant that the Kiwi quicks have been able to slip the leash, and bowl at pace (Bond in his first spell shrugged off the no balls and wides and went flat out) to a Test-style field of two slips and two gulleys.
Stephen Fleming indicated the way he would go when, prior to the game, he said his bowlers would continue to target the perceived Indian vulnerability to pace.
India, as a result, got off to the kind of start it is not used to -- 17/1 at the end of 5 overs, 32/2 after ten. But with the pitch settling down a touch, matters appeared to be improving heading towards the 15 over mark. A bad 11th over by the normally reliable Darryl Tuffey, in course of which Shiv Sundar Das on his return to the one day squad clipped one over the head of gully, then wafted a short pitched delivery over deep backward square leg for six, got the touring side under way.
Skipper Saurav Ganguly, batting at four and being targeted for some short stuff by the Kiwi quicks, is looking to bat himself into some kind of touch after a bad run in Tests; while Das for his part is busy reminding selectors of their goof up in not including him in the preliminary squad of 30 for the World Cup. It's rather intriguing, really, that while the selectors did not see him as worth a place even in the 30-member list, they reckon he is good enough to be part of a 14-man squad here.
What is ironic is that even if he, for the sake of argument, produces a brilliant 100 here, and follows up with a series of good performances in the one dayers to follow, there is no way he can make the Cup squad -- the selectors, who have to announce the final team before December 31, cannot pick outside the initial 30.
Ganguly ended the 15th over (61/2) in trademark fashion -- stepping away to leg to Oram's fifth ball, freeing his arms, and lifting over the cover region for four; then stepping away again and as Oram followed him, puling through midwicket for two to end the over.
Dravid, Yuvraj and Kaif follow the pair in the middle now -- and one thing is for sure, a total of around 250, plus or minus ten, will put the batting side in position to push for a win here.
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