Grand-finale at Thiru
Grand-finale at Thiru
A prayer of thanks
After the unseasonal rains lashed Thiruvananthapuram for the last few days and yesterday, it almost seemed that rain gods didn’t want the match to be played. They perhaps felt the hard fought series deserved to be equally shared between the two talented contenders. The rain gods kept everybody in suspense until the very end. Bookies must have been happy though. So high were the odds for the match getting cancelled, they must have been busy placing bets on the likely scenarios. Then, when it was almost time to call off the match, the rain gods relented. The patience which the crowd at the stadium displayed might have persuaded the rain gods in blessing them with some sort of a spectacle after all. And it was some spectacle. A fitting finale to this spiritedly hard fought series.
Greenfield
All the talk about the excellent drainage facilities at the Greenfield International Stadium did turn out to be true. A heartfelt gratitude for the ground staff is a must, for an admirable job to help put a gala show despite the severe challenges for the first ever International cricket outing at the stadium. The stadium itself is a multipurpose one built both as per the FIFA and the ICC norms.
The shortened game
After all the rain-saga, there was just enough time for a shortened game. The officials trimmed the T20 to an eight-over contest, which, honestly speaking, sounds more like gully/terrace cricket. It’s hard to imagine two international cricket teams coming together for an eight-over aside match. But, thankfully, at least that happened.
A fitting finale
There was a hushed silence at the ground when both Indian openers fell cheaply for the second time in a row. With just eight overs of play time, though, it was hard to blame them for throwing their bats at virtually everything and perishing in the process. Captain Kohli, Pandey and Pandaya all tried their best to score quick and succeeded to the extent the virgin pitch, under covers for a long time, and the heavy weather conditions would allow. The target of 68 which they set for the Kiwis seemed modest at best.
The run chase
Having bowled first, Kiwis must have got a fair idea as to the playing conditions. They must have known that the modest looking total would require another Rajkot like batting. The pitch at Rajkot, however, had not been covered up and was dry, firm and conducive for stroke play as witnessed there. The Greenfield pitch with all the moisture it had soaked up, afforded good assistance to both the pacers and spinners. Bhuveneshwar was hit for a six by Munro but he came back well and cleaned up Guptill. Bumrah on the other end was even more effective (2 overs for 2 wickets and 9 runs). He got rid of Munro before he could inflict any more pain on the Indians than he already has on this tour. The Black Caps managed to connect some balls every once in a while. However, some tight overs with wickets at regular intervals ensured that India would lift the Paytm T20 series as well and that the Kiwis will have to wait for another Indian tour in quest of an elusive series win here.
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