Rain defies Indian victory at Wellington

Posted by on Apr 7, 2009 in Cricket

India was forced to draw the third and final Test at Basin Reserve in Wellington as rain hit the ground  just on time to save the Kiwis. The visitors fell just short of two wickets to take which would have completed the series 2-0. Nevertheless India still went onto create history by winning a Test Series in New Zealand after a long gap of 41 years.

Needing to take six wickets in the final day’s play, India was kept waiting by the overnight pair of Ross Taylor and James Franklin. Luck finally changed after drinks as MS Dhoni’s ploy of having Sachin Tendulkar bowl his leg breaks for the first time on this tour worked up magic for the team.  It was Harbhajan Singh though who provided the opening by yorking Ross Taylor (107), who seemed to have lost his focus just a bit having got to a century.  Tendulkar then got the important wicket of Brendon McCullum through an umpiring blunder but it was a big leg break that foxed everyone.

Tendulkar went onto take the wicket of Franklin (49) who was trapped on the backfoot by a sharp leggie.  That was followed up with Harbhajan getting a lucky wicket in Southee who was caught behind after an umpiring mistake. The ninth wicket pair of Daniel Vettori and Iain O’Brien held up the Indians for just enough time before the rain robbed their opponents of an inevitable victory. India’s opener Gautam Gambhir got both the Man of the Match and the Player of the Series awards.

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