IndiaPost.com - India succumb to Vettori's spin magic

JOHANNESBURG: India frittered away a flying start and succumbed to Daniel Vettori's spin magic to lose their Super Eight cricket match against New Zealand by 10 runs in the World Twenty20 Championships here.

India got off to a rollicking start with Gautam Gambhir's impressive 51 and Virender Sehwag's swashbuckling 17-ball 40 but failed to maintain the tempo in the middle overs as Vettori completely changed the complexion of the game with remarkable figures of 4 for 20. Sehwag put up a breath-taking performance as he batted with a vengeance, getting into the mood as early as the second over, taking 15 runs of Mark Gillespie with a six over mid-wicket and two blazing fours.

But it was the manner in which he roughed up off spinner Jeetan Patel, taking 20 runs in his first over, in the fifth over that defeated the Kiwi skipper's gamble to tease the batsmen by pressing his off spinner even when the field restrictions were in force. Sehwag made the bowler look red in his face as he hit him for three fours and a six over long-off.

The left-arm spinner also run out Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni in the 14th over to effectively turn the game New Zealand's way. Having given India the start they were looking for, Sehwag fell to Jacob Oram when he hit him to mid-wicket where Scott Styris took a fine catch. Sehwag's knock included 6 fours and 2 sixes. Gambhir took a cue from his senior partner and turned the heat on Shane Bond taking 18 runs in his second over hitting him for three fours and a six.

Gambhir first pulled Bond for a six over mid-wicket before finding an edge that carried to the fence at third man. He then went over cover and followed it up with a classical cover drive. With 95 needed off the last 10 overs, Gambhir took the aerial route, hitting Vettori for a six over long-on. But the bowler had his revenge in the same over when he saw the batsman charging, and pushed one down the leg side, and as Gambhir went for a pull he gloved it to wicketkeeper McCullum down the leg. However, once Sehwag was dismissed India was pushed to the corner. New Zealand's excellent out cricket also added to India's degree of difficulty.

Vettori bowled a brilliant spell in the middle overs and India could never recover from the soft dismissals of their key men in Robin Uthappa (0), Yuvraj Singh (5) and Mahendra Singh Dhoni (24). Once they were out of the way, India crawled in the last five overs scoring just 35 runs. In contrast, New Zealand had scored 78 runs in their last five overs and that puts things in the right perspective.