Wednesday, March 25, 2009

India set sights on NZ series win

Second Test, Napier: New Zealand v India
Play starts 2130 GMT Wednesday


India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni
Dhoni was delighted with his team's performance in the opening Test

India have the chance to win a Test series in New Zealand for the first time since 1968 when they meet on Thursday in Napier.

The tourists won the opening match of the three-Test series by 10 wickets and are likely to be unchanged.

New Zealand, however, may include Jeetan Patel as a second spinner in place of Kyle Mills.

But batsman Daniel Flynn and seam bowler Iain O'Brien face fitness checks before their team is finalised.

There have been concerns about the pitch at McLean Park because the wicket block has been affected by a fungal disease, but groundstaff insist it will be fine.

Having achieved their first victory in New Zealand for 33 years in Hamilton, India are keen to wrap up the series - and then set their sights on a clean sweep.

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"The first milestone we have achieved - now it's important to play the same kind of cricket in the second and third games," skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni commented.

"We don't think too much about what they're doing because, frankly speaking, it's about us, what we want to achieve."

Opposite number Daniel Vettori acknowledged his side had to improve "a lot of things" to have a chance of turning the tables.

"The longevity of the Test match game is what's catching us out. We do things well for maybe a session or two, but we're not doing it well enough for four or five. That's what good teams do.

"India played so well in that first Test - they seemed to win every key moment," he said.

Former India skipper Rahul Dravid has the chance of a personal landmark in Napier - if he takes one catch he will set a new Test record of 182 for an outfielder, having moved level with Australia's Mark Waugh during the opening Test.


New Zealand (from): Tim McIntosh, Martin Guptill, Daniel Flynn, Jamie How, Ross Taylor, Jesse Ryder, James Franklin, Brendon McCullum, Daniel Vettori (captain), Kyle Mills, Jeetan Patel, Iain O'Brien, Chris Martin.

India (from): Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, V.V.S. Laxman, Yuvraj Singh, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain), Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma, Munaf Patel, Dinesh Karthik, Lakshmi Balaji.

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