India complete series whitewash

India trump New Zealand by 8 wickets in final one-day match to take the series 5-0.

Indias Virat Kohli celebrates after scoring a century, cricket
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India’s victory in the final game completed a disappointing series for the visiting New Zealand team   [EPA]

India have completed a 5-0 series whitewash of New Zealand in the one day series, after winning the final game by eight wickets.

New Zealand were bowled out for 103 on Friday, their lowest total ever against India, who replied by scoring 107-2 off 21.1 overs with Parthiv Patel hitting 56 not out and Yuvraj Singh making an unbeaten 42 to see the hosts through with ease.

Yuvraj won the man-of-the-match award for his all round performance, after also claiming two wickets for five runs with his left-arm spinners.

It was the second time India had whitewashed a five-match series, after thrashing England 5-0 in 2008.

New Zealand’s 11th consecutive loss in one-dayers included a shock 4-0 loss to Bangladesh in a five-match series before this tour.

In a surprise move, New Zealand decided to open the bowling with slow bowlers after seeing the ball turn earlier in the day, and tasted immediate success when they pegged India back to 10/2 in the fourth over.

But the left-handed pair of Patel and Singh knocked off the required runs with ease.

It was Patel’s second consecutive half-century, hitting six fours and a six off 70 balls. He also made 54 at Bangalore. Singh smashed six fours and two sixes off 46 balls.

“We were not expecting the ball to turn early on, though we expected it to happen later in the day. Our bowlers did a fine job and the team was professional,” Gautam Gambhir, the Indian captain, who won the man-of-the-series award after scoring two centuries said.

‘Young team’

“This was a young team, everyone was hungry and wanted to contribute in the wins”.

Earlier, offspinner Ravichandran Ashwin finished with three wickets, while Yuvraj, Yusuf Pathan and Ashish Nehra took two each.

James Franklin, New Zealand’s batting star in the previous two matches with unbeaten knocks of 72 and 98, ran out of partners and was left unbeaten for 17.

New Zealand was dismantled by India’s spin bowlers, with Yuvraj and Pathan tormenting the middle order and Ashwin finishing off the tail.

Yuvraj bowled Jamie How for 23 when the batsman was settled and trapped Grant Elliot leg before for a duck.

The allrounder then took two catches at slip to give Pathan his two wickets.

Captain Daniel Vettori edged a ball straight to Yuvraj, while Nathan McCullum was unlucky to be given out as the ball appeared to hit his forearm as he tried a sweep shot.

Ashwin claimed the wicket of top-scorer Scott Styris for 24 and also accounted for Kyle Mills for four and Tim Southee for a duck to finish with 3-24.

The spinners came into the game after Nehra and Praveen Kumar had made the early breakthroughs with the new ball in overcast conditions.

Kumar induced an edge from Martin Guptill, who was caught by wicketkeeper Patel on the fourth ball of the innings.

Nehra then came up with a twin-strike that took his one-day wicket tally to 150.

The left-armer trapped a dangerous looking Brendon McCullum leg before for 14 as the batsman shuffled across, and then had Ross Taylor caught behind for nine, to leave the visitors reeling at 28-3 in the sixth over.

“India played like a team and excelled in all facets of the game,” Vettori said.

“We are disappointed with the results but hope to learn how to play in the conditions here”.

Source: News Agencies