Nasheman News : Skipper Rohit Sharma’s quickfire half-century and useful contributions from Shikhar Dhawan (30) and Rishabh Pant (36 not out) saw India outplay New Zealand by seven wickets in the second Twenty20 International match here on Friday.

With this win, India have levelled the three match series 1-1.

Chasing 159, the Indian openers –Rohit and Dhawan– played fearlessly and in no time the duo slammed 79 runs in 9.2 overs before Rohit was dismissed by spinner Ish Sodhi.

Rohit played brilliant shots all around the park to complete his half century. The Mumbai batsman played 29 balls and slammed three boundaries and four sixes.

In the very next over, Dhawan was also dismissed. He was caught by Colin de Grandhomme off Lockie Ferguson at backward point.

Rishabh Pant and Vijay Shankar (14) then tried to keep up the momentum set by the Indian openers but in te process Shankar fell prey to Daryl Mitchell. He was caught by Tim Southee at the boundary while trying for a six with the score at 118 in 14 overs.

Pant and wicketkeeper-batsman Mahendra Singh Dhoni then joined hands in the middle and completed the proceedings with ease.

For New Zealand, Lockie Ferguson, Ish Sodhi and Daryl Mitchell scalped one wicket each.

Earlier, all-rounder Colin de Grandhomme’s brilliant half-century and Ross Taylor’s disciplined innings helped New Zealand post 158/8.

Losing four wickets for just 50 runs in 7.5 overs, Taylor and Grandhomme forged a crucial 77-run partnership for the sixth wicket and helped their team post a good total.

Opting to bat, New Zealand started the proceedings cautiously but in the third over, Bhuvneshwar Kumar picked up Tim Seifert (12), who was the top scorer in the last match.

Colin Munro (12) and Kane Williamson (20) then came together. Munro was dismissed by spinner Krunal Pandya in the sixth over while trying to up the scoring rate. Krunal dismissed Daryl Mitchell (1) also in the same over.

With the scoreboard reading 43/3, Krunal came in again in the eighth over and dismissed Williamson. He was adjudged leg before wicket.

Taylor and Grandhomme then joined hands and played sensibly. The duo played some beautifully crafted shots in the process.

But just when things seemed good in the middle, Grandhomme was sent packing by all-rounder Hardik Pandya in the 16th over. Grandhomme played 28 balls and slammed one boundary and four sixes. 

Unperturbed by the fall of wickets, Taylor kept on playing his shots but lack of support from the lower order batsmen cost him. He was run out by Vijay Shankar in the penultimate over. In his 32-ball stay, Taylor hit three boundaries.

For India, Krunal scalped three wickets while Khaleel Ahmed picked up two.

Brief scores: New Zealand: 158/8 (Colin de Grandhomme 50, Ross Taylor 42; Krunal Pandya 3/28) against India: 162/3 (Rohit Sharma 50; Lockie Ferguson 1/31, Ish Sodhi 1/31)

Nasheman News : A brilliant second-half performance helped Bengaluru FC salvage a draw against Kerala Blasters FC in an action-packed Indian Super League clash at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium here on Wednesday.

Slavisa Stojanovic scored a 16th-minute penalty before a fabulous strike from Courage Pekuson handed the visitors a two-goal lead at the break. But just as it seemed that Kerala Blasters could win their first match against Bengaluru FC, a header from Udanta Singh (69′) and another from Sunil Chhetri (85′) helped the Blues grab a point.

The result sees Bengaluru extend their lead atop the ISL table to four points, while Kerala Blasters remain winless in 14 matches and are rooted to the ninth spot.

Kerala threatened from the start and a rampaging run by Mohammad Rakip down the right flank in the 14th minute provided the breakthrough. The young full-back’s cross from the right hit Kean Lewis’ hand and Stojanovic stepped up to convert the resultant penalty-kick to put his team in the lead.

Chances were few and far between for Bengaluru. In the 35th minute, Dimas Delgado released Edmund Lalrindika into the box with a perfectly-weighted through-ball but Sandesh Jhingan quickly came across to sweep the ball off the striker’s feet.

Kerala’s persistence in attack was rewarded in the 40th minute as Sahal Abdul Samad split the Bengaluru backline with an excellent pass for Seiminlen Doungel. The forward was denied space to shoot but he laid the ball off for an onrushing Pekuson who belted an outstanding strike from outside the box into the top corner of the net.

In response to going behind, the hosts upped the ante by playing more balls into the box. Rahul Bheke and Udanta Singh played excellent crosses from the right, both aimed at Chhetri, but the skipper sent his header off target on both instances.

Chhetri went close again a few minutes later when he met Delgado’s cross from the right with a powerful first-time effort. Kerala goalkeeper Dheeraj Singh made a good save to deny the India international and keep Kerala’s two-goal lead intact.

Bengaluru finally managed to carve the Kerala defence open in the 69th minute. Chhetri headed Erik Paartalu’s lofted ball back across the box into the path of Udanta Singh who headed home, leaving the defenders rooted to the spot.

The hosts equalised with five minutes left on the clock. Udanta received Harmanjot Khabra’s backheel and crossed into the box from the right flank. Chhetri got to the end of it, beating Rakip in the air for a powerful header into the net.

Bengaluru will take heart from a superb second-half comeback, while Kerala Blasters were left to ponder what could have been.

Nasheman News: After the 80-run hammering on Wednesday, a desperate India will be eyeing for a strong comeback against New Zealand in the second contest of the three-match Twenty20 rubber at Eden Park here on Friday.

While the visitors face a must-win situation, another victory for the Kiwis will seal a moral series victory win for them.

In the first game, neither the Indian batsmen nor the bowlers clicked as they succumbed before a clinical all-round show by the hosts. Kiwi opener Tim Seifert (84 off 43) hammered the Indian bowlers all around the Park on Wednesday and it would be crucial to pack back him early on Friday.

Experienced pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Hardik Pandya and Khaleel Ahmed had failed to contain Seifert.

In such a crunch situation, the Indian team management could replace Khaleel with either Siddharth Kaul or Mohammad Siraj, who missed the last game.

A lot will also depend on the batsmen, who too, had surrendered as none other than Mahendra Singh Dhoni (39 off 31) showed any fight in the last issue. Despite going with eight batsmen, India were wrapped up for a paltry 139, suffering an 80-run defeat – India’s biggest defeat in T20 in terms of margin. 

While trying to strengthen their batting, India went in with all-rounder Krunal Pandya and stand-in skipper Rohit Sharma will likely opt to select the service of chinaman Kuldeep Yadav, dropping the former.

Mostly, Kuldeep has been economical during the slog overs and as India leaked too many runs in the middle overs in last game, the chinaman has a strong chance of making to the playing eleven.

On the other hand, the hosts almost ticked all the boxes and will like to continue with the same momentum on Friday. 

With the top-order firing, the only major cause of concern for them is lack of support from the middle-order, which had a lacklusture outing in the last game.

Apart from veteran batsman Ross Taylor, none of their middle-order clicked.

Their bowling, spearheaded by pacer Trent Boult, was far more than impressive while the spinners Ish Sodhi and Mitchell Santner also supported the pace attack handsomely.

Overall, an interesting contest is up on cards for fans on Friday.

Squads:

New Zealand: Kane Williamson (Captain), Doug Bracewell, Colin de Grandhomme, Lockie Ferguson, Scott Kuggeleijn, Colin Munro, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner, Tim Seifert (wicket-keeper), Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, Blair Tickner, James Neesham.

India: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Rishabh Pant, Dinesh Karthik, Kedar Jadhav, M.S. Dhoni (wicket-keeper), Krunal Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Siddarth Kaul, K. Khaleel Ahmed, Shubman Gill, Vijay Shankar, Hardik Pandya. 

Nasheman News : An all-round effort guided New Zealand to a thumping 80-run victory over India in the first contest of the three-match Twenty20 rubber at the Westpac stadium here on Wednesday.

Chasing a mammoth 220-run target for victory, the Indian batsmen failed to show fight against a disciplined Kiwi bowling attack as the entire team was bowled out for 139 runs in 19.2 overs.

Brief score: New Zealand 219/6 (Tim Seifert 84, Colin Munro 34; Hardik Pandya 2/51) beat India 139 all out (MS Dhoni 39, Shikhar Dhawan 29; Tim Southee 3/17) by 80 runs.

Nasheman News : A disciplined performance with the ball and on field pressure helped New Zealand outsmart India by 23 runs in the opening Twenty20 International match here on Wednesday.

Although Smriti Mandhana struck the fastest Twenty20 International half-century, getting to the mark in 24 deliveries, a disciplined performance helped New Zealand fight back to claim victory, according to an ICC statement.

When Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues added 58 runs in the Powerplay, India seemed well on course to chase down the target of 160. 

But Kiwi pacer Lea Tahuhu (3/20), and spinners Leigh Kasperek (2/25) and Amelia Kerr (2/28) fought back, and with the fielders holding on to the chances they were offered, the hosts pulled off a stunning victory.

Hannah Rowe’s catch off Mandhana proved to be the game-changer, as India collapsed from 102/1 to 136 all out after that. The middle order offered no resistance, and when captain Harmanpreet Kaur was stumped trying to charge down the ground, India’s hopes disappeared. 

Earlier, New Zealand’s total had been set up by Sophie Devine. After the hosts were put in to bat, Devine led the charge in partnerships of 36 with debutant Caitlin Gurrey (15) and 69 with Amy Satterthwaite (33 off 27 balls). 

For India, Deepti Sharma, Arundhati Reddy, Radha Yadav and Poonam Yadav scalped one wicket each.

With this victory, the hosts have taken a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

Brief scores: New Zealand: 159/4 (Sophie Devine 62; Deepti Sharma 1/19) against India: 136/10 (Smriti Mandhana 58; Lea Tahuhu 3/20)

Nasheman News : Stand-in India skipper Rohit Sharma won the toss and opted to bowl against New Zealand in the first of the three-match Twenty20 international rubber here on Wednesday.

All-rounder Daryl Mitchell makes his T20I debut for the Kiwis while Rishabh Pant, who missed a place in the ODI squad, finds a spot in the Indian playing eleven.

Playing XI:

New Zealand: Colin Munro, Tim Seifert (Wicket-keeper), Kane Williamson (Captain), Ross Taylor, Daryl Mitchell, Colin de Grandhomme, Mitchell Santner, Scott Kuggeleijn, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Lockie Ferguson

India: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Rishabh Pant, Vijay Shankar, Dinesh Karthik, M.S. Dhoni (Wicket-keeper), Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yuzvendra Chahal, K. Khaleel Ahmed.

Nasheman News :  After clinching the five match One-Day International (ODI) series, a confident India will aim to carry the momentum to the three match Twenty20 International (T20I) series when they face New Zealand in the opening match at the Westpac Stadium here on Wednesday.

In the ODIs, India comprehensively outplayed the hosts to clinch the series 4-1. India looked out of sorts only in Hamilton but they bounced back in style in the last match and will aim to carry the momentum to the shortest format with some more promising players joining the squad.

“We would be looking to win the series and carry the momentum back home for the Australia series,” Shikhar Dhawan told reporters on Tuesday. 

This T20I series will also be a good opportunity for youngsters like Krunal Pandya, Rishabh Pant, Siddarth Kaul, Khaleel Ahmed, Shubman Gill to rise to the occasion and stake a claim for a World Cup spot.

Veteran India wicketkeeper-batsman Mahendra Singh Dhoni also returned to the T20I squad after a long hiatus. The Ranchi stumper last featured in a T20 match in July.

In the absence of regular skipper Virat Kohli who has been rested, Rohit Sharma will lead the squad and will be aiming to repeat the result of the ODI series. 

Apart from that, India’s batting seemed settled with the likes of opener Shikhar Dhawan, swashbuckling batsman Rishabh Pant, Dinesh Karthik, Kedar Jadhav and Dhoni in the squad.

In the bowling department, India will miss the services of pacer Jasprit Bumrah, who has also been rested.

Pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar will lead the pace attack which comprises of Mohammad Siraj, Siddarth Kaul, Khaleel Ahmed and all-rounder Hardik Pandya.

The spin department will consist of chinaman Kuldeep Yadav and Leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal. Part-time spinners Kedar Jadhav and Krunal Pandya might come into the picture as well.

New Zealand, on the other hand, will miss the services of opener Martin Guptill. Failing to recover from a back injury, the experienced batsman was ruled out of the series.

Guptill had sustained the injury while throwing a ball during fielding practice on the eve of the fifth ODI after which he was forced to miss that contest.

The Kiwi opener underwent a fitness test on Monday morning where he continued to feel pain in his lower back. Later, New Zealand coach Gary Stead confirmed that Guptill will miss the series.

Bowling all-rounder James Neesham, who was earlier left out of the T20I squad, has now been included as Guptill’s replacement.

A lot will depend on the top-four batsmen — Kane Williamson, Doug Bracewell, Colin de Grandhomme and Lockie Ferguson. They need to click for New Zealand to have the upper hand.

The middle-order consists of youngsters Scott Kuggeleijn and Daryl Mitchell. The duo will be supported by veteran batsman Ross Taylor.

In the bowling department, it will be interesting to see the performances of debutant all-rounder Daryl Mitchell and pacer Blair Tickner in the absence of star pacer Trent Boult, who has been rested. 

Spinners Ish Sodhi and Mitchell Santner have also been included in the squad.

Squads:

New Zealand: Kane Williamson (c), Doug Bracewell, Colin de Grandhomme, Lockie Ferguson, Scott Kuggeleijn, Colin Munro, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner, Tim Seifert, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, Blair Tickner, James Neesham.

India: Rohit Sharma(c), Shikhar Dhawan, Rishabh Pant, Dinesh Karthik, Kedar Jadhav, M.S. Dhoni, Krunal Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Siddarth Kaul, Khaleel Ahmed, Shubman Gill, Vijay Shankar, Hardik Pandya, Mohammad Siraj. 

Nasheman News : Online streaming website Netflix has announced its first Indian sports documentary “Cricket Fever: Mumbai Indians”, which will premiere on March 1.

The docu-series, produced by Conde Nast Entertainment, will follow the Mumbai Indians on the road through the course of the 2018 Indian Premier League (IPL) season as they sought to defend their 2017 IPL crown, read a statement. 

The series documents the unseen action, both on and off the field, starting with the 2018 IPL auction, when the entire team was re-organised, and closes with the end of their IPL campaign. It charts the emotional arc of the team, including the intense pressure the team faces. 

It documents highly personal journeys of the young and talented team, led by captain Rohit Sharma, owners Nita and Akash Ambani as well as the brilliance of their coach – Sri Lankan legend Mahela Jayawardene.

Nasheman News : Indian Arrows will look to leapfrog defending champions Minerva Punjab FC when the two sides meet in an I-League encounter here on Tuesday.

Miverva had overcome the Arrows by a solitary goal in the first leg fixture more than two months back, but the youngsters under the able stewardship of coach Floyd Pinto, have found a semblance of consistency in performance since then.

The Arrows lie ninth on the table with 13 points from 15 games and if they can pull off a win on Tuesday, they would move clear of seventh-placed Minerva and eighth-placed Aizawl, both of whom have 14 points from the same number of games.

Minerva’s problems have been compounded by the fact that they have not won in eight games in two months, and have scored just once in that period. They go into Tuesday’s game after shock losses to Aizawl and bottom-placed Shillong at home.

Their Irish coach Paul Munster said in the pre-match press conference: “The mood has been very good and training has been very positive. We are over here with a positive attitude and ready for the game tomorrow.”

“It’s a very important match for us and we know we have a chance of winning the away game. After this game, we are again travelling for AFC. So this game is a moral and confidence booster for us to get three points for the players.

“We know that Indian Arrows are all young players, full of energy and they are very committed. We have a lot of young players, and they too are just as energetic and perhaps a bit more experienced in the mix. Hoping that to be the turning point for tomorrow,” he added.

The Arrows, on the other hand, have fought every game of the league and have an eager eye for goal and easily last 90 minutes.

Floyd Pinto’s young guns trounced Shillong 3-0 before giving tough fights in losses against the likes of Quess East Bengal, Churchill Brothers and Neroca FC, all firm title contenders at this stage. They also scored six times in that four-game period.

Arrows’ coach Pinto was upbeat before match day, saying “Every match for us is a challenge. We take every match with the aim of winning. The last few matches, we have been on the wrong side of a one goal game. We are reasonably happy with our effort.”

“It is high time we score some points. It is a tough game tomorrow — a 90-min battle. Last match in Chandigarh, we were not able to convert our chances. We have always been a team very difficult to beat. Our conversion rate has improved. It’s now the time to take the right decisions at this point in the league,” said Pinto.

Minerva have eased in the likes of Juan Quero and Mahmoud Al Amna in their previous game and will be banking heavily on their class and experience to put it across the Arrows.

Nasheman News : Former Indian Test spinner Harbhajan Singh on Monday offered to voluntarily promote the Punjab government’s ‘Tandarust Punjab Mission’, a state minister said here.

Punjab Sports Minister Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi lauded the cricketer for offering to contribute towards promoting health and fitness in the state under the government’s flagship mission. Popularly known as ‘Bhajji’, Singh met the minister here and expressed his willingness to participate in the campaign.

Sodhi asked Singh to leverage his appeal with youngsters in supporting the state government drive to eradicate drug menace from Punjab.

“It is Punjab’s good luck that a sportsman like Rana Sodhi is at the helm of affairs. Being an athlete, Sodhi knows the needs of a sportsperson, which is the best thing for the sporting ecosystem to evolve,” Singh said.