Bangalore ODI: Pathan plunders Kiwis into submission

Bangalore: A super show by Yusuf Pathan on Tuesday gave India a 4-0 lead against New Zealand as the hosts romped home with five wickets to spare at the Chinnaswamy stadium. Chasing a massive 316, Yusuf Pathan powered the Indian chase with an unbeaten 123 off just 96 balls. The Vadodara all-rounder plundered seven towering sixes and stitched a match-winning 133-run stand with Saurabh Tiwary (37 not out).
After James Franklin's 98 guided the Kiwis to 315-7, the Indian chase slipped off track with regular setbacks. But after a rain interruption, Pathan unleashed a brutal attack that snatched the game away from Daniel Vettori's men.
Pathan reached his century in style, hitting a huge six to bring the required run-rate down to six. His brilliant knock included seven sixes including the one that sailed out of the Chinnaswamy Stadium, a feat first achieved by former wicket-keeper Sadanand Vishwanath.
The only nail-biting match of the series so far kept spectators on the edge of their seats when India began their chase of 316 runs. Indian openers gave a strong reply to New Zealand’s mammoth total before Andy McKay’s double strike dented their run chase.
McKay struck after openers Gautam Gambhir and Parthiv Patel put the Indian chase on track. Gambhir fell for 27 and soon man-in-form Virat Kohli, skied one from McKay to Mills at the fine-leg boundary for a duck.
Yuvraj Singh and Patel consolidated for a while before Nathan McCullm dented the chase by dismissing both the batsmen in quick succession. Parthiv made an impressive 53 before giving an easy catch to Williamson.
Yusuf Pathan and Rohit Sharma kept India’s hopes alive with a lively stand under pressure. But the visitors struck back, sending back Rohit (44) in the 34th over. Rain then gave India the scare as India were behind the required score. In the 36th over, they were 203/5 against the required 220, according to the D/L method.
However, after the game resumed Pathan came out with all guns blazing. The dasher in the stable company of Saurabh Tiwary ripped through the Kiwi bowling with complete disdain as the ball disappeared into the distant corners of the Chinnaswamy Stadium.
In the end, what looked like an improbable victory was achieved easily by Pathan with seven balls to spare.
Earlier, it was once again a ‘James Franklin show’ that guided New Zealand to a challenging total. Despite losing wickets at regular intervals, Franklin’s swashbuckling 98 in 69 balls guided Kiwis to 315. Franklin’s 98 was studded with 12 boundaries and three dazzling sixes.
A super start by openers set the base for a huge target for the Kiwis. Asked to bat first, Martin Guptill and Brendon McCullum hammered Indian bowlers in the initial overs to add 62 runs on board for the first wicket.
However, Ashish Nehra’s double strike followed by R Ashwin’s magic spell left the Kiwis in despair at 91/3. This was followed by cameos from Scott Styris (46) and Ross Taylor (44) as they consolidated the innings and added valuable 79 for the fourth wicket.
But, Yusuf struck soon dismissing Styris. Taylor aslo joined Styris in the pavilion after being trapped leg-before by Ashwin. The loss of wickets didn’t deter scoring pace of the Kiwis as they kept the scorecard moving at an average close to 6 eyeing a mammoth total. Though Pathan’s twin strike, dismissing Vettori and Mills, reduced the Kiwis to 251/7 in 44 overs, Nathan McCullum played a supportive role, similar to Vadodara ODI and helped Franklin in ensuring New Zealand posted a huge total.