All that New Zealand did right was to have won the toss in the third and final Test played against India at Nagpur Stadium. Thereafter it was a pathetic display of cricket by New Zealand. After chosing to bat first, New Zealand were skittled out for a measely score of 193 runs.
Harbhajan Singh
India in turn, piled of a mammoth 566 for 8 declared which was studded by 191 runs by Rahul Dravid, 98 runs by Dhoni and the New Zealanders had an uphill task of scoring 373 runs in their second innings, and they failed miserably.
Two Indian pacers and the spinning trio (Raina included) wrecked havoc for the batsman who could neither read the arm-ball nor could judge the turn well and surrendered their fight as soon as it had begun in asmuch as they lost the last nine wickets in just over a session of play.
India won the test match about an hour after the lunch break. Pragyan Ojha, Harbhajan Singh and Suresh Raina bowled and were adequately switched by skipper Dhoni, who in the end, called in Ishant Sharma, who cleaned up the tail by rattling the timber of Southee and Martin, twice in a span of two balls.
Rahul Dravid
Immense pressure was put on the New Zealand batsman with the ball dancing all over and a gang of fielders around the bat waiting to pounce at a snick or a shot. As the three spinners shared the wickets and Ishant cleared up the tail, the Test win that India wanted came earlier than expected.
Ojha showed today that he can be accurate in obtaining the requisite turn and bounce and that he can attack too with concealed straighter deliveries. He started off by teasing Brendon McCullum who wanting to hit boundaries to get the close-in fielders out of his face. Ojha kept the ball up, flighted it, McCullum played and the straighter one got him out lbw.
Later he took Martin Guptill lbw in his offbreak even though it was pitched outside the leg stump but it could have hit the stumps. As the replays showed, it was hitting the stumps all right.
Harbhajan came to get nightwatchman Gareth Hopkins with a well flighted offbreak.
Taylor survived a plumb lbw decision but was soon given out caught on a ball that had just kissed his pads. Ryder was the only batsman who looked at ease against the turning ball, but he got out trying to dominate the part-time spin of Suresh Raina, the second time he has fallen to the bowler.
Later Raina bowled the straighter one to trap Daniel Vettori in front, the third time he has taken the New Zealand captain.
Tim Southee,, trying to accelerate, swung the bat a little bit, hitting three sixes, surviving a near chance being caught but this only delayed India’s victory a bit.
And Chris Martin’s was out on the first ball he faced from Ishant Sharma. He had no clue how it came in to rattle his fruniture.
India have outplayed New Zealand in all departments of the game and have also not lost any of their last nine Test series.
Rahul Dravid was adjudged the Man of the Match. He was presented with a cheque of Rs. 1,00,000 and a medal.
Harbhajan was awarded the Man of the Series award.
Ravi Matah.