Opening Statement: India crush Kiwis by 48 runs to go 1-up

By Paritosh Pramanik

NAGPUR, Jan 21

THE lean frame which Abhishek Sharma presents does not reveal the actual power he possesses. The left-handed opener can clear any distance and his power-packed batting was on display on Wednesday night when the 25-year-old cracked 84 from 35 deliveries to help India post a total which New Zealand could not achieve here at VCA’s Jamtha Stadium. The target of 239 was too steep for the Black Caps as they could muster 190-7 in 20 overs.

India showed a perfect blueprint of their attacking batting style which will be on display in next two months going into the home T20 World Cup as they went on to record a 48-run 

win to lead the five-match series 1-0.

New Zealand knew the chase wouldn’t be easy with India having world class bowlers in Arshdeep Singh (1-31), Hardik Pandya (1-20), Varun Chakravarthy (2-37), and Shivam Dube (2-28). Buried under a mountain of 238 runs, they succumbed. They perished as India avenged the decade-old defeat at the same venue with a commanding victory.

A packed explosive batting line-up attacked New Zealand bowlers with disdain hitting 14 sixes and 21 boundaries to make mockery of the visiting bowling line-up. Along with captain Suryakumar Yadav, who became the fourth player to play 100 T20Is for India, Sharma added 99 runs for the third wicket after India had lost Sanju Samson (10) and Ishan Kishan (8) by the third over. That partnership laid the foundation for a big score. With a late flourish from Rinku Singh, who hit an unbeaten 44 from 20 balls, India showed who’s the boss in the shortest format of the game.

Sharma was brutal on all New Zealand bowlers. After playing a couple of dot deliveries, he made his intentions clear with a straight six off the tall Jacob Duffy to set the ball rolling. From then on, his powerful shots were on display with Yadav being the spectator at the other end. Yadav, going through a lean patch, made sure he played second fiddle to his partner. He hit some of his trademark shots and did find gaps to pick up boundaries. Once, the captain stepped out and placed the ball into the gap to collect a boundary towards the long-on fence. Prior to that, he went on his knees to slog it over the square leg boundary for a beautiful four.

Meanwhile, Sharma was unstoppable. His six off Mitchell Santner in the 11th over sailed into the stands with the fielder becoming a spectator. There were shades of Yuvraj Singh in his batting. He bent on his knees a bit but kept his body straight as he sent the ball over the ropes for another six. His entertaining innings came to an end in the 12th over when he holed up a skier off Ish Sodhi to Kyle Jamieson. Surya made 32, Pandya important 25 but it was the late cameo from Rinku Singh, a 44 from 20 deliveries (4x4, 3x6) which kept the run rate high. Rinku took 21 from the last over bowled by Darly Mitchell which had two sixes and as many fours to put India in total control.

New Zealand’s chase was stuttering. They lost two quick wickets inside two overs with Arshdeep and Pandya striking in their respective first overs. Glenn Phillips (78; 40b, 4x4, 6x6) and Tim Robinson (21; 15b, 2x4, 1x6) tried to steady the ship with 51 runs from 31 deliveries for the third wicket but Chakravarthy gave India another breakthrough getting the latter’s scalp in the 7th over. Phillips and Mark Chapman (39; 24b, 4x4, 2x6) were involved in a crucial 79 runs stand for the fourth wicket.

Phillips tried to dominate. He hit Axar for a four and a six but the bowler had the last laugh as he got him caught by Dube at long-on boundary as New Zealand slumped to 131-4 and then 143 for five in the 15th over and then ended their innings at 190-7 in 20 overs.

Orange City Turns Sea Of Blue

 JAMTHA JOTTINGS  ---   By Paritosh Pramanik and Deval Kakde

IT WAS India Blue on the sale. With the T20 International coming to Nagpur after a long gap, fans made sure they didn’t miss to see their demigods. The India Blue T-shirts were sold like hot cakes by the vendors. They did not care for the cost of the tees which went up to Rs 800!

All they wanted was to look part of the Indian team. The T-shirt sellers were outside VCA Civil Lines where they were selling it at Rs 200. But as one moved towards the stadium, hundreds of such sellers occupied the footpaths and service lanes of the Hyderabad Highway, selling them at a premium rate.

PATRIOTS

There were several patriots who painted their faces in India tri-colours. The painters too made good money as a small three-dash flag cost around Rs 50. The price increased with the size of the tri-colour. The fans also wore tri-colour turbans and waved the flags showing their patriotism.

BEELINE

WITH no IPL matches conducted in the city, fans get few opportunities to watch Indian cricketers perform in Nagpur. They made sure they didn’t miss a single delivery and the 

moment and made a beeline outside the stadium much ahead of the scheduled start of play. The serpentine line grew as the time progressed.

HOUSEFUL SHOW

IT WAS a house-full show. Not a single seat was left vacant and the stadium was full to the brim. The 44,000 capacity stadium witnessed an international T20 match after a long gap and fans came in numbers to make it a memorable moment.

BLACK 

MARKETING

DESPITE tickets being sold online, there were many black marketers who made a few extra bucks by selling tickets at an exorbitant price. A spectator said that he brought a ticket of Rs 750 denomination for Rs 3000. There were many who paid much more for some other seats. All they wanted was to be inside the stadium and watch the cricketers play.

ROHIT, VIRAT STILL IN DEMAND

THEY might have retired from Tests and T20 Internationals, but star cricketers Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are still the heart-throb of millions of fans around the world. The two have lit up stadiums around the globe and fans could not fathom their departure from two formats of the game. The T-shirts are still on demand and the stadium was full with VIRAT and ROHIT T-shirts. So what they are not in the side, fans still love their favourite cricketers.

PUSH OR PULL

IT IS important to apply correct signage at the correct position during a big event like international matches. Wrong information might make things dangerous. During the match, one of the spectators in the corporate box was about to break the glass door unknowingly due to wrong sticker signage on it. The glass door was supposed to be pushed to open it but the signage read ‘pull’. The spectator following the ‘orders’ pulled it only to see it bang the huge door into the frame. Luckily, it did not break.

PRECIOUS LOSS

MATCH tickets are a precious commodity. It takes a humongous effort to get one. But tragedy strikes when one loses them. Such an incident happened outside the stadium when two bike-borne men snatched tickets from a youth. The ‘thieves’ sped away on their moped. The youth approached the police to register a 

complaint.

GAME OF A BILLION DREAMS

ONE enthusiastic little cricket fan was seen keenly observing each and every aspect of this beautiful stadium and asking array of questions to his father. He asked, ‘what it takes to be on that green playing surface?’ The father patiently replied as said it takes a lot of hard work to achieve success. Hope the kid takes the teachings seriously and achieves his goals.

‘TASKAREE’

DESPITE heavy checking at the turnstile posts, few spectators managed to smuggle Nagpuri ‘Kharra’ inside the stadium. Hiding them where nobody can reach, Nagpurians came out victors in dodging the volunteers at the gates. One of the spectators was seen taking it out from his socks and sharing it with a fellow Indian supporter. Their cricketing knowledge was too ‘commendable’ as they recognised ‘Rinku Yadav’ practicing with ‘Kuldeep Singh’.

Paisa Vasool: Fans hail team INDIA

By Paritosh Pramanik

THE Vidarbha Cricket Association’s Jamtha Stadium wore India Blue colours. Thousands of cricket aficionados thronged the venue and made their Wednesday a memorable one. It was a mid-week mania with spectators enjoying every bit of it as Indian batters, led by Abhishek Sharma, hit boundaries and sixes during the first T20 International. The favourable result made it a memorable evening for the sporting entertainment-starved Nagpurians. Cricket is the biggest international sporting event that takes place in this part of central India and citizens wanted to soak in the moment.

Abhishek Sharma made sure that fans enjoyed their evening to the hilt hitting a 35-ball 84 with eight marauding sixes and five boundaries. His sixes lit up the stadium as New Zealand bowlers failed to find solution to stop him. After his departure, Rinku Singh entertained the crowd late in the innings hitting three sixes and as many fours. With bowlers striking at regular intervals, New Zealand could not make a match of it. They succumbed.

The fans made a beeline at the venue situated in the outskirts of the city more than four hours before the start of the play. They all wanted to occupy their ‘coveted seats’ well in advance. They wanted to enjoy the ‘festival’ from ball one. By the time toss took place, the stands were almost packed to the capacity.

With Police on their toes to avoid any untoward incident, fans also made it sure that they remained disciplined.

The arrangements at the venue were perfect with volunteers guiding fans to their designated seats through turn-styles. Fans went berserk as the game started and sixes landed into the stands. They chanted names of Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav. But the biggest was reserved for Hardik Pandya. Haaardik…Haardik… chanted the fans, bringing back the memories of Saachiiin….Saaachiiin…

RECORD MATCHES: People often say that Vidarbha Cricket Association did not get matches as compared to other venues of the country. But the match between India and New Zealand was the 14^th T20 International at Jamtha Stadium, highest than any other venue.

Only VCA’s Jamtha Stadium has hosted more T20Is than any other centre in the country. One of the oldest centres of the country Eden Gardens has hosted 12 T20Is followed by Dharamsala (11), Bengaluru (10) and Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium (9). VCA authorities did a perfect job in conducting a hassle-free match as spectators returned home, albeit traffic jam, with happy memories.

Jamtha magic beckons Men in Blue

By Paritosh Pramanik

ALL ROADS will lead to Jamtha today. India’s preparation for the home T20 World Cup gets rolling from Nagpur when they take on New Zealand in first of the five T20 Internationals on Wednesday evening. The white ball will fly thick and fast to all parts of the stands. The crowd would go berserk when Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, captain Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan and others dispatch the ball into the night sky. Batters would go hammer and tongd while bowlers would relish hearing the sound of ball hitting the timber.

It is a sold-out encounter. Tickets were sold out in just two hours. The match will start at 7 pm but the stadium gates will be thrown open at 4 pm for the ease of spectators. The Traffic Police Department has made a few changes to the approach road in an attempt to avoid congestion. But with maximum spectators coming from one direction, there is a possibility of a jam. The authorities have appealed to spectators to use Metro and bus services to reduce congestion.

Spectators will make a beeline well in advance to get inside the stadium before the first ball is bowled.

Most Indian cricketers arrived in Nagpur well in advance and hit the nets at the right earnest.

They sweated out hard for three days and are ready for D-Day. They don’t want to leave any stone unturned as they know that India have a superior record against them. Out of the 25 encounters, India have won 14 while New Zealand emerge victors on 10 occasions with one odd game ending in a tie. India would love to extend their supremacy while New Zealand will aim to narrow the gap.

VCA Jamtha would be hosting 14th T20 International, more than any other Indian venues. India has won last three T20 matches played at this venue.

The iconic Eden Gardens has hosted 12 while Dharamsala hosted 11 and Bengaluru 10. Mumbai’s Wankhede has got a chance to host a T20 International on nine occasions.

India would hope to extend Jamtha’s record and give spectators something to cheer about.

All in all, it would be a treat for spectators who will be witnessing the cricketing gods in the city after quite some time.

Free drinking water

VCA will be providing free drinking water to the spectators. The association has requested them to make cash payment only for food items purchased, as internet and network issues make ‘on-line’ payment difficult.

Buses

Nagpur Municipal Corporation will be running additional buses from the city to and from Jamtha Stadium. Similarly, the Maha Metro will be running additional services up to New Airport Metro Station. Apart from this, VCA will also be arranging buses for pickup and drop of spectators from New Airport Metro Station and will also run shuttle bus services from the place of parking of VCA near Ultra Tech Cement Plant to and from the Jamtha Stadium T-Point.

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The other side of Surya 

By Paritosh Pramanik

INDIAN captain Suryakumar Yadav loves to pose a smile every time. He also makes the press conferences lighter with his style of replies. On Tuesday, the other side of Surya was on display as his replies evoked laughter in the press conference hall of VCA’s Jamtha Stadium.

As the skipper walked in the media room and took his seat, his antics started.

A ball-shaped broadcasters’ logo was kept on the table near the mic. Bemused, Surya picked up to check it. Somebody from the media said ‘ball hai’. “Wo to important hai (It’s the most important thing),” Surya quickly replied amidst laughter in the press conference hall to set the presser rolling.

When one of the scribes reminded him that India lost the Test series against New Zealand and recently the One-Dayers. “We have lost to them (Tests) some 10 years back, isn’t it?,” quipped the captain to another round of laughter. “Somebody just said 2026 aa gaya … so I thought it’s too old to talk. Let’s talk about the T20 format because we will be playing this format for the moment,” replied Surya.

However, the best was reserved for the last. When asked about the pitch and how it would behave on the match day, Surya said, “Achcha dikh raha hai … ekdum hara bhara … khali santre nahi uge hai udhar … but achcha hai. Ground is good … the crowd is good here,” he sarcastically said and left the room amidst laughter.

Final rehearsal for WC starts

By Paritosh Pramanik

NAGPUR, Jan 20

PRELIMS starts for the Indian T20 team before the final exams. The five-match T20 series against visiting New Zealand, starting Wednesday here at Vidarbha Cricket Association’s Jamtha Stadium, will be the best possible preparation India would have asked for before the home T20 World Cup starting February 7.

In the precursor to the T20 World Cup, defending champions India will aim to rearrange themselves when they square off against a consistent New Zealand team, led by Mitchell Santner.

Even though most of the Indian players were not part of the One-Day side which suffered 1-2 defeat at the hands of Kiwis on Sunday, the T20 specialists would love to start the series on a positive note here.

Around 11 of the 15-member team landed in Nagpur well before the start of the series and got down to business immediately. They trained hard on Sunday and then the next day when the remaining players joined them from Indore.

This series would be the build-up for the forthcoming mega ICC event and title holders India will be more than eager to start in the right earnest.

With clean hitters in the side including Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan apart from captain Suryakumar Yadav, Rinku Singh, Shivam Dube and Hardik Pandya in the ranks, India look a dominant side on paper.

However, skipper Yadav has been struggling with the bat off late and it is time he gets some runs under his belt before the World Cup. Last year, the captain scored only 218 runs from 19 matches without a single half century. But going by the way he batted in the nets in the last two days, it seems Surya’s mojo is back. His batting performance would be crucial for India in shaping up their innings. With a belter in the offing, Surya will have the best opportunity to regain the touch.

“Talking about my performance, the runs would definitely come. I can’t do things differently. I don’t want to change my identity. I would like to bat the same way which has given me success in the past 3-4 years. If the performance comes I’ll take it and if it doesn’t then I will go back to the drawing board, practice again, work hard and come back stronger,” Suryakumar said during the press conference on the match eve.

India have world class wicket-taking bowlers with death overs specialist Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, all-rounder and vice-captain Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav. The hosts would definitely try different combinations to get a perfect playing XI for the 

World Cup. Coach Gautam Gambhir will treat these five matches with utmost importance given the next bigger assignment to follow and will try to finalise a settled XI as soon as possible.

The visitors would be high on confidence with their long format title victory over the hosts a few days ago. They are one of the most consistent sides in the world at present and the Santner-led team will be out to pose a challenge to India.

“We love playing in India and against India. We would take (ODI win) confidence in this series and hope for a positive result,” New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner said on the eve of the match.

With Devon Conway, Ben Jacobs and Tim Robinson at the top, the New Zealand side is loaded with all-rounders. Captain Santner, Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Zak Foulkes, Daryl Mitchell, James Nisham, Glenn Phillips 

and Rachin Ravindra, all have the abilities to hit big and take wickets.

The bowling section will be headed by Jacob Duffy, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson and Ish Sodhi who will try to see the back of Indian batters and silence the vociferous crowd. New Zealand have also added Kristian Clarke for the first three matches. 

Clarke was rewarded for his fine show on debut in their 2-1 ODI win. The 24-year-old, who took the wicket of Virat Kohli, was included as a cover for all-rounder Michael Bracewell. The ODI captain had sustained a calf injury during the third ODI in Indore.

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Ishan best to bat at Number 3: SKY

n By Paritosh Pramanik

NAGPUR, Jan 20

HIS recent heroics in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 forced the selectors to hand wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan the important Number 3 spot in the Indian team when they square up for the first T20 International against New Zealand here at VCA’s Jamtha Stadium on Wednesday.

“Ishan will play at number three. We have picked him in the (T20) World Cup team and he has done quite well in the domestic cricket off late. So, he deserves to play. Had it been for the No 4 position, the situation would have been different. But unfortunately Tilak is not there, so I think Ishan is the best bet at number 3,” declared Suryakumar during a press conference on the eve of the series opener.

Surya underlined that every game the team plays is important and he would be happy batting at Number 4. “Every game we will be playing from now on will be important. I have batted at both the positions for India, No 3 and No 4. But we are flexible and depending upon the situation we take the decisions. If we want a right-hander at that point then I walk in otherwise Tilak has been doing really well at No 3. But unfortunately he is not in the side at present,” said the captain.

“So it would be like for like. If a left-handed-batter is out (Abhishek) then Ishan will walk in at Number 3 and if Sanju gets out, then I will walk in,” he clarified.

Surya said that he never thinks about his personal performance as has to look at the entire team and support staff.

“Had I been playing individual sports like badminton or table tennis, I would have thought more about myself. But this is a team sport and my responsibility is to think about the team. If the team is doing well, I am happy and then I don’t think about my personal performance. I have to look after all the other 14 players and the support staff as well. I have been appointed as the leader of everyone,” Suryakumar stated.

The Indian skipper informed that he is doing nothing behind the curtains and is playing in an open field.

“Parde ke peeche to nahi gaya mai (I did not go behind the curtains for any preparation). I batted in the open ground … But then I pondered ‘what was the thing that gave me the identity in T20’. So, I worked on those things. How have I helped the Indian side in T20s 

in the last three-four years? I have been batting in the nets the same way I was batting earlier,” he said. 

Surya said the team would definitely miss Tilak Verma and Washington Sundar who both are out of the squad with injuries.

“Obviously we will miss Tilak and Washy but injuries are part and parcel of the game. It’s not in our hands. It’s not in anyone’s control but at the same time it gives an opportunity to some other player to show his talent.” Suryakumar said that playing under pressure brings the best out of the players as it motivates them.

 “There will be pressure in any format. Without pressure, the sport would look stale. With pressure comes responsibility. It needs another energy level. It motivates us,” he concluded.

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Santner says, Black Caps hold upper hand

n By Paritosh Pramanik

NAGPUR, Jan 20

HAVING won the One-Day series recently, New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner is confident that Black Caps hold an upper hand going into the five-match T20 series against India. The first match starts at VCA’s Jamtha Stadium on Wednesday.

“It obviously gives us an edge. We love playing India, and we love playing in India. We have had some recent successes against India in different formats. We are looking forward to the series. The aim, first of all, is obviously to win the series but also have good enough preparation leading into the T20 World Cup (in India),” Santner said during the pre-match press conference on Tuesday.

“It’s about playing a great team in similar conditions to what we are going to face in the World Cup. In terms of preparations for the series, it’s going to be a great series,” the Black Caps captain added.

Santner said he expects Daryl Mitchell to carry his dominant ODI form into the shortest format. In the just concluded One-Dayers against India, Mitchell scored runs in bulk hitting 84, unbeaten 131 and 137 which was the cornerstone of New Zealand’s stunning 2-1 series victory.

“Initially, Daryl struggled against spin. But he worked incredibly hard and you can see the fruits of labour,” Santner said.

“He’s playing spin well. He can control the game in middle overs during ODIs. Hope he does something similar in T20Is,” the Kiwis captain stated.

Santner termed this India tour a learning curve for his side. “We love playing here. For us, it is about facing a great team in conditions which will be familiar during the T20 World Cup,” he said.Santner called it a special memory from his first tour of India some 10 years ago. He lauded the crowd and the support India got while playing at home.

“I hope it’s similar to what it was 10 years ago. I guess it was my first trip to India. Not really knowing what to expect, but, you know, turning up, playing in front of 50,000 people in the World Cup, it was awesome. And it’s been the same every time we’ve come back. And everyone loves touring here. The fans are amazing. Every time you get to play in front of a massive crowd, it’s what we do. It’s why we play, I guess,” he said.

Batters free arms in high intensity nets

By Paritosh Pramanik

NAGPUR, Jan 18

THE ball landed with a thud straight on one of the blue chairs in the North Stand. There were many such towering shots which made their way into the stands from the bat of Ishan Kishan. The left-handed batter, who recently helped Jharkhand win the Syed Mushtaq Ali title and made his way into the Indian T20 side, showed his aggressive side as the team started its preparation for the first T20 International against New Zealand here at VCA’s Jamtha Stadium on Sunday. 

The first encounter of the five-match series, a precursor to next month’s World Cup, begins January 21 under the lights.

Most of the Indian team members led by Suryakumar Yadav reached the city on Saturday evening.

Even though it was an optional session, all cricketers barring Hardik Pandya, hit the nets in all seriousness.

Captain Yadav, Axar Patel, Sanju Samson, Ravi Bishnoi, Shivam Dube, Abhishek Sharma, Varun Chakravarthy, Rinku Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishan Kishan all were seen fine-tuning their skills on Sunday morning.

Samson looked more determined among all as he opened the nets at around 11.30 am and was the last to step out of the field at 2.30 pm.

The players decided to use the practice pitches instead of the batting nets situated outside the main field.

Axar and Bishnoi occupied one nets while Chakravarthy and Bumrah rolled over their arms on the adjacent turf.

Abhishek Sharma preferred sprinting and stretching exercise before strapping his pads.

Samson started the nets facing throw downs and then took on the net bowlers. Ishan faced spinners Bishnoi, Patel and Chakravarthy. Even Rinku Singh rolled his arms to Ishan who tonked the ball to quite a distance on a few occasion.

Bumrah did not bowl full throttle initially and was seen rolling his arms from two-three steps.

He then changed the nets and bowled medium pace deliveries to Samson.

Suryakumar, whose form is a bit of concern, joined Ishan and tried to connect the ball but on few occasions mistimed his shots.

Dube, after some sprinting and high catching, rolled his arms to Sharma. He then occupied the pitch to hit some lofty shots into the stands.

A three-hour nets session ended as cricketers walked back to pavilion drenched in sweat.