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Indian cricket in disarray
CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand (Reuters) -- With the World Cup just over a month away, India's cricketers are in disarray. New Zealand dismissed India's hapless batting line-up for 108 before winning their third one-day international by five wickets on Wednesday to take a 3-0 series lead. The home side, having skittled India in 41.1 overs on a bouncy pitch, took just 26.5 overs to wrap up their victory. The drop-in strip, however, will again invite scrutiny, with the top individual score of the match coming from Nathan Astle with a run-a-ball 32. India, whose top score came in the form of 22 extras, also made 108 in the first game of the seven-match series. Opener Astle, perhaps wary of the awkward surface, opted for attack, charging down the wicket to hit 22 off Javagal Srinath's third over before being caught in the deep off the same bowler as he tried to launch a delivery out of the ground.
By then Steven Fleming, who made four before being dismissed in the eighth over, and Mathew Sinclair, who made a four-ball duck, had already departed, leaving New Zealand on a vulnerable 50 for three in the 13th over. Lou Vincent and Craig McMillan, however, put on 33 to all but settle a game which did not feature a single over of spin. The man-of-the-match award went to quick bowler Daryl Tuffey, who took two for 11 off 10 overs, while wicketkeeper Brendon McCullum completed five catches. 'Big struggle'Indian skipper Saurav Ganguly, who had elected to bat, said of the pitch. "Let's not go into that. "The scores are there, so I don't think it is fair for me to comment on the wicket every time. "It's been a big struggle for us. We just can't put any runs on the board. When we came to New Zealand all our batters were in great form. This is just a phase." Ganguly said New Zealand's batsmen had also struggled to get on top but had adopted a better approach, backed up by bold running between the wickets. "Nathan Astle's policy was good today," he said. "He took his chances and he made a quick 30 which put the game right in their favour." India, in contrast, struggled from the start. After 15 overs they were 25 for two, Virender Sehwag and Ganguly both out to catches behind off Kyle Mills and Daryl Tuffey. Rahul Dravid, a key member of a batting line-up touted by many as the strongest in the world, made 20 off 59 balls. There were 22 extras, the biggest score of the innings. Yuvraj Singh, known for his swift scoring, chiseled 12 from 44 deliveries. India's batsmen have struggled consistently on their tour of New Zealand, having lost the test series 2-0. Reuters contributed to this report.
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This is just a phase
