India fold again

New Zealand were 29-1 at lunch chasing a paltry Indian total of 108 in the opening day-night encounter of the seven-match series at Eden Park.

India seem to have made a habit of surprising with their baffling team compositions. Today was no different with the inclusion of SS Das at the top of the order with Sachin Tendulkar and Sanjay Bangar injured.

If the move was an effort by the team management to mock the selectors for not including Das in the probables list, it was futile because he cannot be inducted even if he makes a hundred today, never mind the fact that he didn't and was dismissed for a sketchy 30.

It would have made more sense to include fast bowler Rakesh Patel - who is in the probables list - and Ajit Agarkar as the all-rounder at number seven.

Another option would have been to include Parthiv Patel as the wicket-keeper and probably ask him to open the innings --- if the team management thought that he was equipped to open in Tests (he opened in the second innings of the second Test), the one-dayers should be a cakewalk. With the selectors most likely to include an extra wicket keeper besides first-choice Rahul Dravid, it made sense to give Patel a few games before the World Cup.

With an orgy of runs on the flat tracks back home in the one-day series against West Indies, the Indian batsmen valued the importance of runs on the seaming tracks of New Zealand.

"The one-day pitches will suit the batsmen more," Indian coach John Wright said before the start of the series. "I hope our batsmen can go out and show the cricket people of New Zealand how they have become one of the most feared line-ups in world cricket."

Losing six wickets in eight overs with the addition of only 13 runs, the Indian batsmen failed to show a glint of their batting prowess.

Playing the first game without the services of Tendulkar, Bangar and off-spinner Harbhajan Singh, skipper Sourav Ganguly further aggravated his team's chances by losing the toss to Stephen Fleming.

Batting first on the pitch dropped in about a month ago with a hint of foliage, the Indian opening worries continued as Virender Sehwag's bad run seeped through to the shorter version of the game.

Shane Bond bowling with raw pace - not worrying about the no balls and wides - got through the defences of Virender Sehwag, for his third duck of the year, with an inswinging yorker.

Bond also bowled Das off a no ball in the fourth over of the innings. VVS Laxman and Das struggled to get the ball off the square as runs came at a premium. Such was the throttlehold of the Kiwi speedsters that the first boundary came only in the 9th over - a flowing drive through extra cover from Laxman. Laxman was dismissed hooking Tuffey in the deep.

After 10 overs, the Indian batsmen having played 50 dot balls were 33-2 - a huge crime in the shorter version of the game where the single assumes enormous importance. At the end of 15 overs, India had played 70 dot balls and 15 singles - completely in contrast to the team strategy of taking singles when the bog shots don't connect.

Das played some fine shots including a six off Tuffey over the square-leg fence before he was snapped up in the slips slashing at seamer Kyle Mills for 30 - which was to be the top-score of the Indian innings. (63-3)

Ganguly inner-edged Oram onto his stumps, ironically after changing his bat, in the same over Yuvraj Singh departed courtesy another slip catch.

Mohammad Kaif edged Oram to first slip, as Fleming's attacking field setting -two slips and two gullies - seemed precise and part of a well-executed design. Oram picked another wicket in the same over, trapping Kumble in front to have the Indian reeling at 74-7 with another 30 overs yet to be bowled in the Indian innings.

After the fall of the eight wicket (Javagal Srinath), Rahul Dravid and Zaheer Khan pulled a mini-reprisal in the innings that helped India cross the 100-run mark.

Jacob Oram picked up his first five-wicket haul in one-dayers catching the Indian batsmen unaware with the seaming ball. Skipper Fleming had pointed out that his bowlers had exploited the Indian batsmen's tendency to play too many shots in the Tests. The one-dayer seemed no different, as the Indian batsmen could not negotiate the seam or their attacking instinct.

Left-arm spinner Daniel Vettori, who didn't bowl a single ball during the two-Test series against India finally got a bowl and struck in his first over trapping Zaheer in front much to the jubilation of his skipper.

Timing his jump to perfection, Vettori ended the Indian innings taking a brilliant catch at mid-on off Tuffey.

India were packed off for 108 - their lowest ever against New Zealand - inside 32 overs.