Tri Series ODI 1 Half Time: Taylor Plays Captain's Knock; Styris Stays Strong; NZ - 288

The first ODI of the ODI tri series between India, New Zealand and Sri Lanka got off to incredible drama and looking back on the New Zealand score, few would know that the team from the southern hemisphere had recovered from a rather dubious situation, thanks to their skipper and his partner.

ross taylor against india

A 190 run partnership for the fourth wicket between New Zealand captain, Ross Taylor, and Scott Styris not only saved New Zealand the blushes but also, ensured that India would have a competitive target to chase in the challenging conditions at the Rangiri Dambulla Stadium not reputed for its floodlights but also, known for early help for the fast bowlers.

But it certainly did not look like New Zealand would get anywhere close to a total of 200 after they found themselves reduced to twenty-eight for three at the end of seven overs with debutant Kane Williamson gone for a duck.

Ashish Nehra and Praveen Kumar provided the crucial breakthroughs at the top of the order and in the closing stages of the match. Ishant Sharma was not part of the line up due to an ankle injury, giving way to Abhimanyu Mithun. Three wickets for Praveen Kumar who achieved fifty ODIs wickets mark and four for Nehra meant that New Zealand faltered badly at the start and failed to fully capitalize on the partnership in the middle, bowled out for 288 in less than forty-nine overs,

scott styris against india

However, Taylor's innings was a gem of a knock under the circumstances while Styris only showed the value of a genuine all rounder, not to mention a gritty one. Together they consolidated the innings without too much fanfare, building upon the innings steadily when they decided to even take the batting powerplay at the end of thirty overs when they managed to build a healthy run rate. Both were deserving of centuries but fell short, Taylor for ninety-five and Styris for eighty-nine.

It was not thought possible when New Zealand would themselves knee deep in trouble in less than the first ten overs. However, it was credit to the stand in captain and Styris for soldiering on without letting the early setback stultify them. As the innings progressed, they milked the slower bowlers and gathered up the middle overs to New Zealand's advantage.

India now have a battle on their hands, and no Sachin Tendulkar or Gautam Gambhir in their line up. But there is plenty of batting and it will be interesting how India tackle this situation of advantage to challenge.

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