A cursory look at the New Zealand card would suggest an ordeal against pace on a juiced-up track in Australia or England, but the truth was that they struggled against a tidy fast-bowling attack and failed to cope with Yuvraj Singh. Having lost the toss, India turned in a committed display in the field to take to pieces a line-up woefully short on inspiration and effort. Once they had New Zealand at 19 for 3 they provided few escapes routes, and that should the deciding factor in the outcome of this match.
The few hundred spectators that decided to turn up on Friday afternoon were treated to a one-sided innings. A strong Indian attack, led initially by Ashish Nehra before Yuvraj continued the carnage, was on top from the time the first wicket fell. Nehra set the tone for India's domination with a lovely new-ball burst, in which he passed 100 ODI wickets. Yuvraj complemented it with his left-arm spin as New Zealand's batting capitulated.
New Zealand's attempt to stay alive in this short four-game tournament began in the best possible way when Daniel Vettori won the toss and decided to bat, but 14 balls into the innings told a different story. With his second ball, Nehra beat Jesse Ryder's loose shot across the line to hit him in front of leg stump. In his next over he removed Brendon McCullum with one that straightened and rapped the pads flush in front of middle.
Nehra's first spell, with figures of 6-0-19-2, was highlighted by his accuracy and ability to keep the right-handers tied down. He fed them a clever mixture of good-length deliveries and, while he didn't get a lot of swing back in, he was more than enough for this line-up. Having taken Ross Taylor's edge and watched the ball sneak through between slip and keeper, RP Singh held back the length and got Taylor nicking to MS Dhoni for 11. New Zealand's worries against left-handers - Thilan Thushara has been a handful all tour - continued with a poor display.
Such was their discomfiture against the left-arm variety that Yuvraj's gentle slow turners soon looked like missiles. Puttering along to 22 from 41 balls, helping put on 32 with Grant Elliott, Martin Guptill fell in Yuvraj's first over. Barely settling in to see what Yuvraj could offer, or if the pitch would assist turn, Guptill stabbed at one and Rahul Dravid, at first slip, reminded all of his class as a catcher with his 194th pouch.
Elliott, who looked the only one capable of batting till the 45th over and beyond, was then incorrectly given out for 22 by Kumar Dharmasena down the leg side. Replays showed the ball brushed only his pads as he attempted to tickle it fine. New Zealand had reason to feel aggrieved, but their efforts at the start had been unforgivable.
The rest of the New Zealand line-up made fleeting appearances. Determined not to be left out of the party, Ishant Sharma came back for a second spell and struck with his seventh ball, a good slower one, taking a return catch off Jacob Oram. Then Dhoni called back Yuvraj for the 33rd over, right after a drinks break, and Neil Broom proceeded to chip an innocuous delivery to midwicket. Kyle Mills was bowled for 6 when RP came back on, Ishant returned to bowl Vettori for 25, the top score of a dismal effort, and Nehra finished the innings with 21 deliveries remaining. There was little let-up for New Zealand as Dhoni rotated his bowlers, with the top four providing the dividends.
New Zealand made a fight of defending a small total, dismissing Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Yuvraj Singh to dent India's chase under lights. Dinesh Karthik was removed early in the piece to bring Dravid to the crease but his comeback was a labored 45-ball 14, after which Tendulkar fell for 46. New Zealand didn't have many to defend to begin with and by dislodging two of the most successful batsmen in ODIs in successive overs, they gave themselves some lift.
Kyle Mills struck an early blow by getting Karthik lbw in the third over, cuing Dravid's entrance. He took five balls to get off the mark in his first ODI in two years, and endured a few testing moments as he adjusted himself to this format. Shane Bond was particularly quick and nasty in a hostile first spell, which included a fiery maiden sixth over, and repetitively tested Dravid with the short deliveries. Dravid negated Bond's aggression with customary grit only to be trapped lbw by Jacob Oram.
Tendulkar was fluent all innings, until he fell tamely. He came out full of intent and treated the sparse crowd to some stunning shots. He repeatedly whipped Mills across the line, deft of wrists, for boundaries and welcomed Ian Butler into the attack with a fierce cut behind point and the shot of the day - a stylish whip off the back foot to a ball that pitched back of a length. Vettori was hammered off the back foot as Tendulkar closed in on fifty, but a clever change of pace had him lobbing the simplest of chances to cover. The bowler, the batsman and the catcher couldn't believe it.
Sixteen minutes later Yuvraj moped off after he was beaten in flight to pop a catch when attempting to play another slog-sweep for four off Vettori. The infamous Premadasa wobble was on.
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