Former captain Sunil Gavaskar feels India got a taste of their own medicine in Tuesday's World Twenty20 loss to New Zealand and should be prepared to handle quality spin if they want to dish out rank turners for their opponents.
West Indies cricketers have typically exuded a lackadaisical 'it's cool man' attitude to their game, yet it is New Zealand who are taking the casual approach to their World Cup quarter-final, according to Daniel Vettori.
Former India skipper Sunil Gavaskar criticised India for their 'over-confident approach' during their shock defeat against New Zealand in the World T20 opener at Nagpur on Tuesday. The Men in Blue had been expected to edge out the Kiwis, who were without their retired skipper Brendon McCullum, as India began their campaign as warm favourites to win the tournament for a second time. But the start-studded Indian batting line-up was undone by NZ's spin trio - Nathan McCullum, Ish Sodhi and man-of-the-match Mitchell Santner - to be bundled out for just 79, their fifth loss from five completed T20 internationals against the Black Caps. Gavaskar said India's batsmen had to take the blame for the loss. Chasing just 127 to win, only three Indian batsmen managed to get into double figures, including three of their top four batsmen dismissed inside the first three overs. "You've got to show a little bit of respect to the opposition," Gavaskar said during commentary. "If the (target) was 160, then I understand that the first ball you face from a bowler, you look to score a few runs because you cannot really afford a dot ball.
Captain Brendon McCullum led from the front with a fine 65 as New Zealand scored a comfortable six-wicket victory over the Netherlands in a ICC World Twenty20 Super 10 match in Chittagong on Saturday.
With unbeaten New Zealand having already qualified for the World Cup quarter-finals, attention is focussing on the side's four players who have not appeared so far at the tournament.
New Zealand won the first Twenty20 international match against West Indies by 81 runs at EdenPark on Saturday to go 1-0 up in the two-match series.
Martin Guptill has been recalled to the New Zealand Test squad for the two-match tour of England after the top-order batsman finished top scorer at the recent 50-over cricket World Cup.
Corey Anderson scored a composed 81 as New Zealand lurched to a three-wicket victory over Sri Lanka on Sunday in the first of seven One-day Internationals between the two sides before next month's World Cup.
Team India has two members - MS Dhoni and Ishant Sharma - of that victorious 2009 side returning to New Zealand for the One-Day International series, which commences on Sunday. The hosts, however, are almost a completely overhauled unit. The teams may not appear equal on paper but the home advantage is something than should benefit New Zealand. Rajneesh Gupta presents a statistical lowdown of the teams ahead of tour opener in Napier.
A blazing half-century from opener Martin Guptill helped New Zealand beat South Africa by 32 runs in Centurion on Sunday to draw the two-match Twenty20 international series 1-1.
Craig Ervine struck a powerful maiden century to lead Zimbabwe to a seven-wicket victory over New Zealand in the first one-day international at the Harare Sports Club on Sunday.
Rookie all-rounder Mitchell Santner and veteran Grant Elliott have been rewarded for their recent strong performances by being included in New Zealand's list of centrally contracted players on Wednesday.
New Zealand will not be shelving the aggressive game that has taken them through the pool stage.
Images from the ICC World T20 match between India and New Zealand in Nagpur.
Vibrant New Zealand deserve all the plaudits.
Rubel Hossain claimed six wickets including a hat-trick as Bangladesh crushed New Zealand by 43 runs in the first one-day international on Tuesday, thereby taking a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
New Zealand are looming as the popular dark horses for the cricket World Cup.
Kane Williamson's gamble to compromise on speed and pick three specialist spinners paid off as New Zealand humbled hosts India by 47 runs in a spin-dominated Super 10 contest of the World Twenty20 in Nagpur, on Tuesday.
Penpix of the New Zealand squad for the cricket World Cup which they will co-host with Australia.
The trophy for their two Twenty20 matches in the Dubai, starting Thursday, is being dedicated in memory of Australian batsman Phillip Hughes, who died last week after being hit on the head by a bouncer during a domestic match.
New Zealand named a virtually unchanged squad for the upcoming ODI series against India, with the selectors keeping faith in players who drew the recent five-match home assignment against the West Indies.
The trouble-prone Pakistan cricket team dressing room was once again witness to some drama and it took PCB Chairman Shaharyar Khan's intervention to diffuse the controversy generated by Misbah-ul-Haq's decision to rest from the third ODI against Australia.
J P Duminy blasted an unbeaten 86 and Dale Steyn bowled a sensational last over as South Africa pulled of a dramatic two-run victory over New Zealand to bring their ICC World Twenty20 campaign back on track, in Chittagong, on Monday.
New Zealand started their World Twenty20 campaign on a positive note, beating England by nine runs via Duckworth-Lewis method in a Group 1 league match that was called off following heavy rain and thunder storm, at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, on Saturday.
A resurgent New Zealand beat England by 13 runs on the Duckworth/Lewis method in a high-scoring second One-day international, marred by a late rain interruption, at The Oval on Friday to level the five-match series at 1-1.
England skipper Eoin Morgan would like to believe his team peaked at the right time at the ongoing World Twenty20 while New Zealand were slightly premature going into Wednesday's semi-final at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium. Kane Williamson and his Kiwi team mates have not put a foot wrong since landing in India, winning all four group matches without really breaking a sweat to qualify for the semi-finals as the tournament's only unbeaten team. For a side boasting an explosive batting order and a balanced attack to go with, England's passage proved bumpier. Even before they could soak in the atmosphere, England were blown away by a Chris Gayle century in their tournament opener against West Indies in Mumbai.
'If you have a partnership then you can build on. I think it was the partnership which was important' 'If the margin of defeat was less it would have been better'
Featuring India, the West Indies, Pakistan, India, Afghanistan.
Colin Munro and Anton Devcich hit half-centuries, and Tim Southee grabbed three wickets, as New Zealand ended their Bangladesh tour with a 15-run victory in the Twenty20 match in Dhaka on Wednesday.
Statistical highlights of the first ODI match between India and New Zealand, in Dharamsala, on Sunday.
Virat Kohli and Bhuvneshwar Kumar are India's highest-ranked batsman and bowler in third and 13th positions respectively.
With strong hosts expected to challenge, a highly-fancied South Africa face their demons.
India suffered its worst One-Day International series defeat in New Zealand, losing 0-4, after being trounced by 87 runs in the inconsequential fifth and final match in Wellington on Friday.
West Indies thrashed New Zealand by 203 runs in the fifth and final one-day international at Seddon Park, Hamilton on Wednesday to draw the series 2-2.
Bangladesh completed a 3-0 sweep over New Zealand after a stunning four-wicket victory in the third ODI in Fatullah on Sunday. Shamsur Rahman's 96 took the home side to 309-6, steaming past New Zealand's 307 with four balls and four wickets to spare at the packed Khan Shaheb Osman Ali stadium, just outside Dhaka.
Former New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming feels India's upcoming tour of Australia next month will determine how the defending champions' campaign pans out in the World Cup next year.
Pacer Rahul Shukla rocked the rival top-order with three wickets in an over before veteran Brad Hodge hit a blistering fifty as Rajasthan Royals snapped Otago Volts's 15-match winning streak with a four-wicket win in the Champion League Twenty20 Group A match, in Jaipur.
Statistical highlights of the World Twenty20 Super 10 Group 2 match between India and New Zealand in Nagpur on Tuesday.
Factbox on the cricket World Cup semi-final between New Zealand and South Africa at Eden Park, Auckland.
Tillakaratne Dilshan scored his third consecutive half-century as Sri Lanka beat New Zealand by 36 runs under Duckworth/Lewis in the third and final one-day international to clinch a 1-1 series draw on Saturday.
