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Match facts

Friday, April 3, 2009
Start time 11.00am local (22.00 GMT)India will be hoping that MS Dhoni will be declared fit on Friday morning•Getty Images

The Big Picture

In 1968, Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi’s men triumphed by eight wickets in Wellington to take a 2-1 lead. A win in the next Test sealed what is still India’s only Test series win in New Zealand. On Friday, MS Dhoni (or perhaps Virender Sehwag) will lead his charges at the Basin Reserve in pursuit of a victory that would end a 41-year drought in New Zealand. The Indians had an opportunity to close out the series in Napier but instead they had to produce a tremendous batting performance spanning more than two days to save their 1-0 lead.New Zealand bounced back admirably from a thrashing in the first Test to stretch India at McLean Park. They dominated the first three days: the batsmen answered Daniel Vettori’s request to bat 120 overs by scoring 619 in 154.4 before the bowlers secured a 314-run lead. After enforcing the follow-on on the third evening, they were thwarted by India’s batsmen who were determined not to repeat their first-innings mistakes on the most placid of pitches. It was hard to say who held the upper hand at the end of the Test. Had it been a boxing match, like Iain O’Brien said, New Zealand would have won on points, but the fact was that they could only take 14 Indian wickets despite one of their best efforts.India, on the other hand, will take confidence from their series-saving effort in Napier. They cannot lose the series and they will be hoping their chances of victory are boosted by the return of Dhoni, who missed the second Test because of back spasms and is not a certainty for the third. Without Dhoni, India lacked their edge in the field and his replacement Virender Sehwag appeared bereft of ideas and inspiration when Ross Taylor, Jesse Ryder and Brendon McCullum were plundering runs. Dinesh Karthik was also an inadequate replacement both behind the stumps and with the bat.

Test form guide

(last five matches, most recent first)
New Zealand – DLDDL
India – DWDWW
India beat Australia, England and New Zealand over their last five games, while New Zealand suffered heavy defeats against Australia and India during this period.

Watch out for …

Jesse Ryder has excelled in all disciplines during this series. He’s bowled steadily and broken partnerships, taken athletic catches, and scored buckets of runs. He made 102 in Hamilton, 201 in Napier and his presence in the middle-order has bolstered a batting line-up that has a brittle top. Ryder credited coach Andy Moles and John Wright for his success and said he was eager to carry on. He was visibly upset at being dismissed the ball after reaching his maiden double-century and said it was because, “I just wanted to keep going and get as many as I can. You don’t really get many opportunities in Test cricket once you get to 200. I just wanted to go on and break Martin Crowe’s record [of 299].”Virender Sehwag destroyed the New Zealand attack in the one-day series but he has got himself out after aggressive starts in the two Tests. His captaincy was bland in Napier and his shot-selection was appalling and so it will be absorbing to see how he goes about his game if he has to lead the team again in Wellington. He’s got off to quick starts in two out of three innings so if he can restrain himself from trying to smash the spinner’s every ball out of Basin Reserve, he might succeed in Wellington.

Team news

New Zealand still have an injury concern over Daniel Flynn who looked good while batting in the nets on the eve of the match. They will take a call on his participation in the Test only on Friday morning and continue to have Jamie How, who failed at McLean Park, on stand-by. James Franklin was also poor, going wicketless in both Tests, but he scored a half-century in Napier and is likely to retain his spot.”I’ve been impressed with how James has bowled,” Vettori said. “He’s been unlucky. That he hasn’t taken wickets, I know, has disappointed him but talking to the guys behind the stumps, they’ve been impressed with the way the ball’s been coming through and that’s an encouraging sign. So I would say he will make the team, we just have to figure out of the rest of the balance.”The other decision New Zealand will have to make is whether to play the second spinner Jeetan Patel. They haven’t played two spinners in Wellington since the Zimbabwe Test in December 2000 but a brown, dry, and hard pitch could work in Patel’s favour. New Zealand will have to choose one among Patel, Kyle Mills and Tim Southee for the final spot.New Zealand (likely): 1 Tim McIntosh, 2 Martin Guptill, 3 Daniel Flynn/Jamie How, 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Jesse Ryder, 6 James Franklin, 7 Brendon McCullum (wk), 8 Daniel Vettori (capt), 9 Jeetan Patel/Kyle Mills/Tim Southee, 10 Iain O’Brien, 11 Chris Martin.India’s only concern was Dhoni’s fitness. Dhoni said his back had improved a lot but would take a call only on the morning of the game. He batted and kept wickets while training but wore a sort of belt to support his back. “It has improved a lot, but we have to see how I am before the game because that will be very vital,” Dhoni said. “It’s a Test match, not a one-day game, where you know the maximum you have to keep for is 50 overs. In a Test match, on a good flat track, you should be ready for 120 overs. I’ll have to see how I am tomorrow morning.”India (likely): 1 Gautam Gambhir, 2 Virender Sehwag, 3 Rahul Dravid, 4 Sachin Tendulkar, 5 VVS Laxman, 6 Yuvraj Singh, 7 Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt & wk)/Dinesh Karthik, 8 Harbhajan Singh, 9 Zaheer Khan, 10 Ishant Sharma, 11 Munaf Patel.

Pitch & conditions

Vettori wanted a pitch that would assist his bowlers since New Zealand need a victory to level the series but he saw a brown, hard surface without any live grass. “I’ve never seen a Basin wicket like this in my life so I’ll say it’s not [a typical Basin Reserve wicket], but that isn’t to say it’s not a good Test-match wicket,” Vettori said. “We’ll have to wait and see because I haven’t seen a Basin wicket as brown as this, or as dry or as hard as this, before. You normally expect the Basin wicket to have a bit in it before it settles down. Days two and three are pretty good batting days and then there’s some inconsistent bounce later on.”Dhoni said he was “expecting a green track” and was “a bit surprised” at the pitch. “Looks like a nice track, so the bowlers will have to put in a hard job again. If batsmen are careful and their approach is good, you may see big scores on the board.”Dhoni, however, felt that the wind would aid the bowlers. “There is no pavilion, and the wind blows across the field, so definitely there will be swing for the fast bowlers and the same breeze can be used by the spinners to drift the ball. But it depends – today you know is warm, nice and cool, with not much of breeze around. But if it is breezy, like Wellington normally is, there will be a bit of help for the bowlers.”On the eve of the Test Wellington was sunny and not very windy. Similar conditions were expected on the first day but the winds could pick up on the weekend.

Stats and trivia

• New Zealand have won four, and lost as many, out of the ten Tests they have played at the Basin Reserve since 2002. India have won only one of their five Tests here and lost the other four.
• In the last ten Tests here, since 2002, fast bowlers have taken 254 wickets at an average of 26.47. The average for spinners – who have taken only 55 wickets during this period – is exactly ten runs more.
• Kyle Mills has the best average in Wellington among the current New Zealand bowlers. His 15 wickets in four Tests have come at just under 24 apiece.

Quotes

“It’s not a line of thinking [risking a 2-0 loss to go for a win here]. We realise a 1-1 series would be a great result for us, so any opportunity that we have to win the Test match, I think we have to take. If that means putting ourselves under pressure with loss, yeah we’ll definitely go down that road.”
.”We certainly don’t do any strategising around playing for a draw. We want to go and win every Test match and that’s going to be our intention in this one.”

Jonty Rhodes, one of the greatest fielders, has partially backed John Buchanan’s multi-captain theory by calling for a fielding captain in Twenty20s. Rhodes feels the nominated player can play the role of a “facilitator” for the team captain, who would have many other responsibilities and could not be expected to carry out every fielding change.Rhodes, the fielding coach of Mumbai Indians in the IPL, said Hansie Cronje, the former South Africa captain, had given him the task of monitoring the field to make sure all the players were attentive. Rhodes felt it was a move that helped South Africa become one of the best fielding units.”Cronje gave me the responsibility to find ways to improve our fielding…You can have a guy who is responsible for that, if you want to call him the fielding captain that’s fine,” Rhodes told Cricinfo from Durban, where he is supervising the Mumbai squad with his former team-mate Shaun Pollock, the team’s mentor.Buchanan’s theory of multiple-strategists for the Kolkata Knight Riders created a huge furore. As part of his plan to succeed in Twenty20s, Buchanan favoured more “decision-makers” in the side, including one who could look after the fielders. Rhodes said the man in charge of the fielding needs to make sure fielders are into their positions quickly so the bowlers could get through the overs soon.”Also if there is an instance where the player could dive but doesn’t then, without adding pressure on him, you need the guy [fielding captain] to tell him what could’ve been the result if only he had attempted the dive,” Rhodes said. “That’s not the captain’s role (to advise the fielders). He has many other things on his head. The fielding captain is like a facilitator.”Rhodes, who was a consultant with the South African team, said during his interaction last month with the Mumbai players he stressed on throwing techniques and foot movement, two aspects that make a good fielder.Asked to nominate the best fielders in the game today, Rhodes picked countrymen JP Duminy and AB de Villiers, Australian Andrew Symonds, and England’s Paul Collingwood.”JP Duminy fields well in the inner ring in the first six overs. And when the fielding restrictions are over because he is very quick to the ball and even if he may not have the biggest arm in the world, he has a good throw, his body position is good, catches a lot of balls in the outfield so he is very good. Andrew Symonds is a very good all-round fielder, too He is very strong in the inner ring, who leans very well and throws very well from the boundary. AB de Villiers has really good feet movement as a wicketkeeper and Paul Collingwood is very good at backward point or at cover.”Rhodes felt their strength was that they are completely focused. In his own words it means “intensity”, which, he says, is the key to success in Twenty20 cricket. “You have to maintain a high intensity. There are only 120 balls, you have to be focused every single ball, expecting every single ball to come to you whether you are fielding at third man, fine leg, or backward point, the way the guys play shots these days you have to expect the ball to come wherever you fielding,” Rhodes said. “That is the key to good fielding – if you are expecting it you can put up a good performance.”Rhodes said that while the basic skills of fielding remain the same in all forms of the game, it is the intensity that differs. “Even in the 50-overs game I was expecting the ball to come to me and was quite disappointed if it didn’t come. Pressure is a constant in the 20-over game with matches going right down to the wire so you can’t afford to really make a mistake with bat, ball or in the field. Fielding is the same, just that you are doing it at a lot quicker pace.”

India Women have retained most of their squad from the 2009 Women’s World Cup for the World Twenty20 to be held in England in June. The two players not included are allrounder Thirush Kamini, who has represented India in 19 ODIs and one Twenty20 international, and left-arm spinner Sravanthi Naidu. Jhulan Goswami will lead the side, and Amita Chopra, like in the World Cup, will be her deputy.In the squad of 15, the selectors have announced three new inclusions – Babita Mandlik, Latika Kumari and offspinner Diana David. Mandlik has played three ODIs, but not made an impression yet, managing just six runs. David, on the other hand, has done well with eight wickets in five ODIs, averaging 15. The World Twenty20 is the first of its kind for women, and will be held simultaneously with the men’s version in England.India Women: Jhulan Goswami (capt), Amita Sharma, Mithali Raj, Anjum Chopra, Rumeli Dhar, Sulakshana Naik (wk), Anagha Deshpande (wk), Priyanka Roy, Reema Malhotra, Gauhar Sultana, Harman Preet Kaur, Poonam Raut, Babita Mandlik, Latika Kumari, Diana David.

Marcus Trescothick missed out on his second Championship century of the season when he was stumped for 95 off Gary Keedy, but his efforts – combined with solid displays from Arul Suppiah, Craig Kieswetter and James Hildreth, allowed Somerset to neutralise Lancashire’s first-innings total of 286, and push their contest at Old Trafford towards a draw. Having claimed Lancashire’s final wicket in the second over of the day, Somerset responded with an opening stand of 131 between Trescothick and Suppiah to settle any early nerves. Oliver Newby claimed two quick scalps including Justin Langer for 2, but this match is unlikely to recover from the loss of the first day to rain.Ed Joyce completed a fine day for the Irish with a gutsy century to drag Sussex to first-innings parity against Yorkshire at Headingley. Joyce resumed on 38 not out overnight, but was made to work for his runs as Yorkshire grabbed three early wickets to reduce Sussex to 94 for 6 in reply to 225. But he added 56 for the seventh wicket with Robin Martin-Jenkins to revive the innings, before bringing up his hundred with the final ball he faced in the innings, having added 25 anxious runs for the tenth wicket with Jason Lewry, who immediately fell to Naved-ul-Hasan. Yorkshire began their second innings with an irrelevant lead of 8, with the pigeon-slayer Jacques Rudolph finishing on 86 not out. There was more disappointment for Michael Vaughan, who looked good for 39, before falling to Dwayne Smith shortly before the close.For a full report on Durham’s thumping victory over Hampshire at Chester-le-Street, click here for John Ward’s bulletin.Play finally got underway on the third day between Warwickshire and Nottinghamshire at Edgbaston. George Dobell was there.

Another day, another hundred for the imperious Mark Ramprakash. His 138 for Surrey against Glamorgan on the third day at Cardiff was his second in three first-class innings this summer, and the 105th of his 22-year first-class career. It’s unlikely to prove sufficient to force victory, after the loss of the first day to rain, but having posted a decent 368 in their innings, Surrey did claim four Glamorgan wickets before the close. The day, however, belonged to Ramprakash, who had resumed on 50 not out, and eased a total of 14 fours from 271 balls in nearly eight hours of inevitability.Alastair Cook was unbeaten on 43 at the close of the third day at Chelmsford, as Essex were left needing a further 336 on the final day against Middlesex, with eight wickets remaining. Their overall target of 415 is a tall order, especially after their collapse to 157 in the first innings, but as Cook’s fellow England opener, Andrew Strauss, proved earlier in the day, there are still good runs to be had in this track. He made 97 before being bowled by Maurice Chambers, as Middlesex declared their second innings on 297 for 7. Danish Kaneria was the pick of the bowlers with 4 for 85 in 28 overs.Hamish Marshall and Alex Gidman each made centuries in a 233-run stand for Gloucestershire’s third wicket at Chesterfield, as Derbyshire were made to toil on the penultimate day of a rain-wrecked contest. Only 16.3 overs had been possible on the first two days, so batting practice was the only realistic aim, and neither man missed out. Marshall made 158, Gidman 135, and Gloucestershire declared on 403 for 5 three overs before the close.Boeta Dippenaar’s 89 was the pick of the scores as Leicestershire’s match against Kent finally got underway on the third day at Grace Road. By the close, they had reached 351 for 6, with Tom New unbeaten on 55.

Vankenna Chamundeswaranath, India’s manager for the ICC World Twenty20, has been suspended by his state association on allegations of corruption in team selection, according to reports.PTI has reported that the Andhra Cricket Association (ACA) relieved Chamundeswaranath, its general secretary, and instructed him to appear before a general assembly next month.”The executive committee of the ACA has unanimously decided to exclude him from discharging his duties following allegations of corruption and favouritism in team selection,” said ACA president G Gangaraju.Chamundeswaranath, 49, faces allegations of corruption associated with payment for selection of Andhra’s Under-19 squad and the state’s women’s team.A right hand middle-order batsman, he represented Andhra between 1978-1992 in 44 games. He also led Andhra in 13 matches.He entered the public eye during the World Twenty20 when, at a pre-match press conference, he intervened as the media entered into an argument with MS Dhoni, the team captain, over Sehwag’s injury.

Mashrafe Mortaza, the Bangladesh captain, has said he would happily step down and let Shakib Al Hasan continue leading the side if the board so wanted. Bangladesh board director Jala Yunus said Shakib, who led Bangladesh to their first Test series win over West Indies and a 2-0 lead in the one-dayers in the absence of the injured Mortaza, was a “serious contender” for the captain’s post.”It’s not so common that someone suddenly gets an opportunity and capitalises on it with both hands but I think Shakib showed that rare quality in the tour,” Mortaza told the Dhaka-based . “It’s my bad luck that I couldn’t lead the team in the series but it’s really encouraging for our cricket that we have discovered someone like Shakib.”Mortaza said he did not want to comment on his own future as captain till he recovered from his knee injury that forced him to leave the field during the first Test. “I don’t know when I will be able to return to cricket and I am looking forward to the suggestion of my doctor [David Young],” Mortaza said.Apart from performing well as a captain, Shakib has also been successful as an allrounder on this tour. He was Bangladesh’s leading wicket-taker in the Tests, with 13 at 18.76 and scored 159 runs. He scored 119 and picked up two wickets in the first two ODIs.According to Mortaza, Shakib was currently the No. 1 spinner in Bangladesh. “He [Shakib] already showed his quality as a captain and I don’t find anything wrong if Shakib continues as captain though it’s up to the board,” Mortaza said. “The most important quality for a captain is that he should be a performer in the team and there is no question about Shakib’s showings. You see he has been scoring consistently against different opposition since he made his international debut and he is a good fielder. But above everything it’s his bowling which is really top-class.”However Bangladesh’s series win has come against a second-string West Indies side that was picked after the main squad staged a boycott over contracts. Mortaza said playing a depleted West Indies side had helped but said it was a challenge to perform consistently regardless of the opposition. “And I think he [Shakib] showed something as a captain which helped the team to win the game,” Mortaza said. “It may be too early to make the final comments on his captaincy but there is something encouraging. I hope under his captaincy the team will also continue their success in Zimbabwe and I will never mind if the board wants to continue this flow with him.”Yunus, who is also the Bangladesh board’s media committee chairman, said Shakib had a good chance to retain the captaincy. “We are impressed at the way he led the team in the absence of Mashrafe,” Yunus said. “It’s bad luck for Mashrafe but Shakib took the opportunity brilliantly.”The board of directors will take the final decision but there is no question that Shakib will be a serious candidate. We have to sit again after the Zimbabwe tour to appoint a new captain because Mashrafe has been given the job for only two series ([Indies and Zimbabwe].”

ECB chief executive David Collier insisted that no decision had been made over the future of the P20 tournament, despite reports that its future was in doubt after opposition from counties.The competition, which had been scheduled to be played over three weeks in June from 2010 onwards, has run into serious concerns over funding, while several counties are opposed to the drastic alteration to the English domestic schedule that would be required to make way for it. Doubts have also been raised over the ability of English teams to participate in the BCCI-run Champions League.”We’re looking at various options that are available for the future,” Collier told the BBC. “There are two basic options which are two competitions during the year or one competition over a prolonged period of time.”The one competition has its advantages in that it doesn’t create confusion in the market place, plus the fact that over a period of time, international players can come in and out to play for the counties. The two-competition basis has the advantage of a very concentrated base, where you have players around the world who tend not to play much cricket in June.”They are the choices we’re going to make with the counties who we’re going to consult with over the next month.”

Ashish Nehra made an impressive comeback in the international circuit after almost four years and believes he is now ready to lead the Indian pace attack in the ICC Champions Trophy in the absence of the injured Zaheer Khan. Nehra picked six wickets in the ODI series against West Indies and his return to the team owed largely to his success in the IPL, where he was the third-highest wicket-taker, representing Delhi Daredevils.”In the absence of Zaheer Khan I am ready to be the lead bowler,” Nehra told PTI. “I may have been out for over three years but people must realise I am very experienced and have been playing cricket for the last 10 years. I am excited and hope there are no injuries.”Nehra featured prominently in India’s 2-1 series win against West Indies, grabbing three-wicket hauls in their victories in Kingston and St Lucia. However, the fast bowler feels he is yet to bowl at his best. “I was happy with my performance in the West Indies tour. I still feel I am bowling at about 80-85% of my capability,” he said. “I am back in rhythm and will soon reach 100%.”Nehra attributed his international return to his success in the IPL. His 19 wickets at 18.21 was crucial to Delhi’s progression to the semi-finals. “IPL gave an opportunity to make a comeback into the Indian team after more than three years,” he said. “IPL is as good as international cricket. Every team has about eight-nine international cricketers so the standard is really high.”It is a good platform for anybody who has been out of the team and wants to make a comeback into the national squad.”Highly susceptible to injury, Nehra has been an irregular member of the Indian team for much of his career. He had his first ankle surgery after the 2003 World Cup and midway through the series in Zimbabwe in 2005, he returned home due to a back injury. In 2006, he had another surgery after he tore his ligament while twisting his ankle in the nets, and went through one more operation before returning to domestic cricket. Nehra admitted he’s been unlucky with fitness problems.”Some of my injuries were freak injuries but name any Indian fast bowler who has played non-stop for the last 18 months,” he said. “These things happen in international cricket. I know I have missed four years of my prime but I am confident that I still have another 4-5 years of good cricket left in me.”Nehra is a part of the 30-man provisional squad for the Champions Trophy and was hoping to be selected in the final team and repeating his IPL success. “I am looking forward to the Champions Trophy especially because it is in South Africa,” he said. “I get a different level of confidence when I go to Johannesburg or Durban.”I have always bowled well there and hope to do the same this time around too.”

Indian batsman Rohan Gavaskar has said he has no regrets over playing the ICL. Having returned to the official fold after accepting the BCCI’s amnesty offer, Gavaskar, 33, is keen on making a comeback into the Bengal Ranji team he once captained.”Not at all, I don’t regret my decision,” Gavaskar was quoted as saying in the . “I decided to join the ICL at that time because I wanted to play against quality international players. There were lots of good international cricketers who played in the ICL.”There was almost the entire Pakistan team and also those like Shane Bond, Craig Macmillan, Brian Lara and Lance Klusener. When I joined the ICL, I knew the Indian team’s doors were shut to me.”Gavaskar, who represented India in 11 ODIs and scored 151 runs at 18.87, joined the ICL in its inaugural year in 2007. After playing for the Royal Bengal Tigers in the two ICL seasons, he was among the 79 cricketers who parted ways with the rebel league earlier this year with the BCCI offering a pardon.Gavaskar found a place among Bengal’s Ranji Trophy probables recently and said he was also determined to do well with Tata Sports Club (TSC) in the ongoing BCCI Corporate Cup. “It certainly feels good to be back in the official fold,” he said. “But I always found the ‘rebel’ tag a bit harsh as at the end of the day you were not doing anything but to play cricket.”Now I have been included in Bengal’s Ranji probables list and am pretty confident of making it to the final squad. And my record for Bengal is also impressive. This [the BCCI Corporate Trophy] is a very important tournament for me. It’s my first official event after returning from the ICL, so I want to perform well here.”He has not emulated the feats of his father, Sunil, but said he wanted to make the most of whatever opportunity came his way. “Not just in cricket, in life you need luck,” he said. “You think this could happen or that could happen but there is no point in looking back and wondering whether I was lucky or unlucky. It doesn’t serve any purpose. The clever thing would be to concentrate on the future.”Gavaskar faces immediate disappointment, though, with the weather threatening TSC’s opening fixture against All India Public Sector Sports Promotion Board in Dharamsala on Tuesday.”If we can’t play a single match [at Dharamasala], we will be missing out on valuable practice ahead of the Ranji season. But it’s the start of the season and no player will want to risk an injury.”

Adam Gilchrist’s maiden half-century at Deccan Chargers’ home ground could not give his side the victory needed to take them into the second round of the Champions League. The Deccan players will now disperse to rejoin their various domestic and national sides, reassembling next to defend their IPL title in 2010. Is it really a surprise, therefore, that an IPL team was eliminated from the tournament by a less fancied team from Trinidad & Tobago?Deccan’s elimination, and the first-match defeats suffered by the other two IPL teams, perhaps adds credence to a point raised by Ray Jennings, the Royal Challengers Bangalore coach, before the Champions League began. Jennings had said the IPL teams, because they get together for barely two months a year, would struggle against opponents who train together constantly in their respective countries. Gilchrist partly agreed after the three-run defeat to T&T. “The teams that are showing the greatest balance are the favourites,” he said. “The T&T side are bubbly, are all together and you can see the energy they have got.”It was very frustrating,” Gilchrist said. “We weren’t able to do that today to the levels in the previous games. By that I mean no balls, wides, mis-fields. We made simple mistakes with the bat like run outs and couple of our shot selections needed to be questioned.”With Gilchrist tearing into the bowling during a 31-ball half-century, defending 149 was not going to be easy for T&T despite having three spinners on a track which kept a little lower than usual. But once the former Australian opener’s outstanding innings was ended by Kieron Pollard, who ran to his left to take a diving catch at deep midwicket, the momentum swung T&T’s way. Daren Ganga rotated his bowlers, shuffled his fields and everyone spurred each other on in the middle.T&T were aided by batsmen losing their way, as the chase approached its finish. Symonds had already been run out following a mix-up with Gilchrist and, after the captain fell, Rohit Sharma played a loose square drive straight to point. His dismissal added pressure on an inexperienced lower order.Earlier in the match, RP Singh had bowled like a rookie in his first two overs, conceding 18 runs and bowling a hat-trick of front-foot no-balls that resulted in free-hits. He was one of Deccan’s senior bowlers but failed to draw on his experience. Dwayne Bravo did not make the same mistake for T&T.Deccan needed only eight off the final over, but Ganga had held Bravo back for this very situation. Bravo delivered six excellent deliveries, denying the batsmen length and room, and conceded only four runs. “Today we had to analyse the situation a number of times as they were getting a lot closer especially when Gilchrist and Rohit were at the crease,” Bravo said. “The last five overs were really tight and our focus was on hitting the block hole.” T&T were the hungrier side on the day and they adapted quickly, unlike Hyderabad, who stuttered with ball and bat at pivotal moments.