The retiring Ashish Nehra received the perfect going-away gift from his teammates as India swatted a very feeble challenge at the Kotla, registering their first win in six Twenty20s against New Zealand.
It was another powerful all-round performance by the home side, set up by the brilliance of the batsmen and rounded off by wonderful execution of plans by the bowlers with Yuzvendra Chahal and Axar Patel in the forefront.
Given that dew was always going to be a factor, Kane Williamson won an excellent toss. Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma negated that advantage through contrasting methods. One of the more noticeable changes in Dhawan since the Champions Trophy in June is in his mindset. He no longer plays within himself, and is determined to express himself as an impact player at the top of the order. He is a much under-rated T20 player and on Wednesday, in front of his home fans, he showed how destructive he can be even in the 20-over game when he decides to embrace his free-flowing avatar.
Rohit was a little subdued at the start but accelerated effortlessly once he got into his 30s with a flurry of boundaries. He and Shikhar complemented, rather competed, with each other to take the game away from a New Zealand outfit that uncharacteristically put down catches. Virat’s cameo then gave India a 20-run cushion to counter the fast gathering dew.
India’s bowling was clinical, the intent aggressive. Virat had at least one slip in place for nearly the entire New Zealand innings, while the two spinners bowled beautifully despite the wet ball. Chahal is growing in stature with every outing, and Axar impressed with his use of the crease and his variations of pace. New Zealand will find the going difficult if they don’t find a way around them, and also if Trent Boult and Tim Southee don’t make early inroads into the Indian batting.
It was brilliant to see the support and warmth Nehra received from the Delhi crowd, as well as his mates in the team. The celebration of his career was spontaneous, and when Kohli and Dhawan hoisted him on their shoulders, it showcased the immense respect the group has for the eternal team man. Nehra and Zaheer Khan are the two smartest bowlers I have played with, skilful but also capable of out-thinking batsmen.
Nehra, like Zak, is also a great mentor and I feel that in retirement too he has plenty to offer Indian cricket. For a fast bowler to bounce back from even one surgery is difficult. For Ashish to do it 12 times iterates that when you have the commitment and self-belief, nothing is impossible. The one thing that characterised Ashish’s 20-year career was his passion for the sport, and I can’t say how happy I am to see him go out with a smile, and with the love and respect of so many.
(Gameplan)
