THE BEST OF BAZ

 

Image Credit- ESPN CricInfo.

Venue- Basin Reserve, Wellington [14-18 February 2014].

In the summer of 2014, the Indian cricket team toured New Zealand to play 5 ODIs and 2 tests. The Kiwis won the ODI Series 4-0 and were also leading the test series 1-0 after the first test. Even though the visitors made a strong comeback in the second innings, it was not enough to save the game. As a result, the second test was a do-or-die test for the Indians. 

On a bowling-friendly Wellington track, Indian Captain MS Dhoni won the toss and decided to field first. The decision turned out to be a good one, as Ishant Sharma bowled one of his finest spells [6-51] in this must-win game. Due to the destructive spell of Ishant Sharma, the hosts were bowled out for just 192 runs in their first innings.In response the Visitors scored a commanding first-innings score of 438. For Indians, Rahane led from the front as he scored a brilliant 118, whereas Dhawan missed his tonne by just 2 runs. Apart from Rahane and Dhawan, Captain MS Dhoni too scored a quick-fire 68 off 86 deliveries. For Kiwis, Boult, Southee and Wagner picked 3 wickets each.

It appeared that Indians would win this game comfortably. Furthermore, at one stage the Kiwi scorecard read 94/5: 154 runs behind the Indian total. However, this is when we witnessed one of the finest knocks of the New Zealand captain. Brendon McCullum scored a magnificent 302 off 559 deliveries and took his team to a massive score of 680. His innings comprised 32 boundaries and 4 sixes.It is interesting to note that this innings of his was not just about power hitting but was also about finding gaps and running between the wickets.

Apart from Baz, BJ Watling and James Neesham also scored wonderful 100s as the Kiwis took the game away from the hosts. The Visitors were given a target of 435, which was not going to be easy. Virat Kohli scored a gritty 100 in the 4th innings, which resulted in the match ending in a draw. 

The Kiwis won the series 1-0. Captain Baz was awarded both the man of the match and man of the series awards for his exceptional performances in both the test matches. 

To watch the knock of Brendon McCullum, Click Here.

To watch the knock of Virat Kohli, Click Here.