Indian Captain Gautam Gambhir hit a sparkling 138 runs off just 116 balls to ensure an easy eight wicket victory over New Zealand in the 2nd ODI at Jaipur. Gautam Gambhir who recently struggled for form was looked in superb touch right from the start and hit eighteen crispy boundaries in his knock to achieve his 8th and 1st hundred as Captain. Chasing the target of 259 for victory, Gambhir and M.Vijay (33 runs off 58 balls) gave India a perfect launching pad by putting on 87 runs for the first wicket before M.Vijay bowled by D.Vettori in the 18th over. However the in-form Virat Kohli (64 runs off 73 balls) continued his good show with the bat as he battend with ease with his Captain to guide India close to the victory, before his dismissal he and Gambhir added 116 runs for the 2nd wicket and by the time New Zealand got India 2nd wicket India are well and truly on the road to remarkable win. Yuvraj Singh came out and played some sparkling shot in the end to achieve the victory target in just 43rd over. With this win India lead the five match series by 2-0, with next game to be played on 4th of December at Baroda which will be day game. Earlier Indian Captain Gautam Gambhir won the toss and had no hesitation in electing to bowl first. His decision was well supported by his bowlers with accurate, wicket to wicket bowling for most of the part. S.Sreesanth removed New Zealand opener J.How in the foruth over to give an early breakthrough for the Indians. M.Guptill (70 runs off 102 balls) and Kane Williamson (29 runs off 56 balls) looked solid but subdued in a 50-run stand for the second wicket. However Indian spinner bowled exceptionally well to pull New Zealand back every time they threatened to break free. At one stage New Zealand were struggling to even reach 230 but thanks to D.Vettori (31 runs off 32 balls) and Scott Styris (59 runs off 56 balls) which helped New Zealand to put fighting 258/8 on the board in their 50 overs. For India S.Sreesanth shown good rhythm and awarded with four wickets in his spell of 9 overs. Munaf Patel, R.Ashwin and Yusuf Pathan pick one wicket each. Gautam Gambhir was declared Player of the Match for his superb unbeaten 138 runs off just 116 balls. Match Summary (India Won by 8 Wickets) New Zealand Inning– 258/8 in 50 Overs M.Guptill- 70 S.Styris–59 S.Sreesanth– 9-1-47-4 R.Ashwin- 10-0-52-1 India Inning– 259/2 in 43 Overs G.Gambhir- 138* V.Kohli– 64 D.Vettori– 8-0-32-1 A.McKay- 7-0-59-1 |
