Stiff Kiwi test awaits Dhoni : It's gonna be a dogfight

[Lord]

lol ..ppl pickiing up on Raina ...the poor guy has been performing from last 1 and half year... what kinda Pahad did Rohit Sharma khodofied over Raina..... hopefully Rohit wont be selected over Raina or Y.Pathan in ODIs and T20s....

nobody is picking on Raina ,not questioning his selection.he deserves it fully.wer only saying its gona be testing times for him.Rohit as u said shouldnt have been selected at all.he has been given too long a rope

[Show_stopper]

nobody is picking on Raina ' date='not questioning his selection.he deserves it fully.wer only saying its gona be testing times for him.Rohit as u said shouldnt have been selected at all.[b']he has been given too long a rope

Lets hope he doesn't hang himself.

[Don Sharma]

Iain O'Brien has got a very gud short ball but apart from him and Oram (if he plays) the others dont bowl bouncers that well. Bowling a bouncer is different from directing it accurately. Every fast bowler has got a bouncer but only a few direct it well. So going by that Raina shouldn have much trouble facing short pitched ones.

[Show_stopper]

And plz don't forget the size of these NZ grounds:giggle:

[spectre]

Raina is an awesome talent. He is the most stylish batsman in the team and his shots are a treat to watch He has all shots in the book, the on the up drive in the T20 which almost went for a six was simply incredible, how many batsman can play such shots He just need to tone down his aggression a bit and concentrate on playing big innings, he certainly has the skill and talent to do that

[Lord]

Raina is an awesome talent. He is the most stylish batsman in the team and his shots are a treat to watch He has all shots in the book, the on the up drive in the T20 which almost went for a six was simply incredible, how many batsman can play such shots He just need to tone down his aggression a bit and concentrate on playing big innings, he certainly has the skill and talent to do that

that would be yuvraj .raina is no way near

[Show_stopper]

that would be yuvraj .raina is no way near

Depends on personal taste..

[Rajan]

Raina is an awesome talent. He is the most stylish batsman in the team and his shots are a treat to watch He has all shots in the book, the on the up drive in the T20 which almost went for a six was simply incredible, how many batsman can play such shots He just need to tone down his aggression a bit and concentrate on playing big innings, he certainly has the skill and talent to do that

i agree with that part. actually Dhoni has already achieved it and has benefited. Raina is a real talent, seems to have worked on facing short ball too. let us see how he can do in NZ/SA/England type of pitches.

[Feed]

David Leggat on NZ cricket : ODI game in good shape as NZ await India New Zealand will rest up and feel their one-day game is in good shape ahead of India's arrival this week. They fly home today having squared the Chappell Hadlee series and, if not gaining a moral victory in the rain-ruined no result... More... David Leggat: ODI game in good shape as NZ await India 4:00AM Monday Feb 16, 2009 By David Leggat Iain O'Brien finished as NZ's top wicket taker. Photo / Getty Images New Zealand will rest up and feel their one-day game is in good shape ahead of India's arrival this week. They fly home today having squared the Chappell Hadlee series and, if not gaining a moral victory in the rain-ruined no result decider in Brisbane on Friday night, at least knowing they had a win within their grasp when it was abandoned. As captain Daniel Vettori was fond of saying, no one would have given New Zealand tuppence before the series started for their chances of sitting 2-2 going into the fifth game. It was a major disappointment for New Zealand, who, through a brilliant hand by Martin Guptill and a bold, sensible contribution from debutant Brendon Diamanti, had the winning of the series. Diamanti was the latest in a series of players finding their feet at ODI level this summer. Guptill is a classic example, so too hard-working seamer Iain O'Brien. Neil Broom should have done better overall but looks an asset as a batting hitter, as opposed to a bowler who can slog, for the last 10 overs. Now Diamanti has put his hand up to go into the long-term mix. "I'm happy these guys keep turning up and performing," Vettori said. "You throw the likes of Scott Styris, Jesse Ryder and Jacob Oram to come back into the mix, then we've got a nice group of 15-16 [to choose from]." When they arrive home the players have a few days off before the start of the Indian tour: two Twenty20 internationals at Christchurch and Wellington on February 25 and 27 followed by five ODIs and three tests. The last time India came out six years ago they were hopeless, having no idea how to handle pitches the colour of outfields. They were walloped 2-0 in the tests, and 5-2 in the ODIs. This Indian team, despite their reputation as ordinary tourists, are guaranteed to entertain. "You look at the individual players and some of the world's best are coming," Vettori said. "Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Virenda Sehwag batting on the little grounds in New Zealand is pretty scary, but you balance that with them being notorious for not touring New Zealand all that well. "It's going to be huge backing up after Australia, but hopefully we can take confidence into the series." So how does the Australian trip stack up? Four positives, four disappointments... Positives: 1: The outcome. Okay, from 2-0 up they should have won the series before Brisbane. Sydney was their big chance but the bowlers misplaced the plot they had scripted so tightly in Perth and Melbourne. Still, New Zealand will take 2-2 in Australia and figure it a pretty decent result. 2: The development of Grant Elliott. His was the decisive contribution to the Melbourne win, with 61 not out, then followed up with a fine 115 off 124 balls at Sydney. His medium-pace bowling was handy, too. He appeals as a cool-headed type, which New Zealand need when chasing demanding targets. 3: Iain O'Brien taking his opportunity. The Wellington seamer had played only one ODI before the tour but finished top wicket taker on either side with 10 at 25.3 each. He had a poor finish in Sydney when Mike Hussey climbed in, and was pricey in the final overs at Brisbane. But he ran in hard, got wickets and generally bowled smartly. 4: Martin Guptill's innings at Brisbane. The young Auckland batsman hit an unbeaten 122 on ODI debut against the West Indies last month. He took his time getting his bearings in the first four games in Australia before unleashing his shot-making abilities at the Gabba. His 64 not out off just 34 balls was a stellar hand, clean, powerful hitting with conventional cricket strokes. Disappointments: 1: The outcome. Australian captain Ricky Ponting reckoned one wicket would have turned the game decisively his team's way. Maybe. But had that wicket not been Guptill, you'd think the win was heading New Zealand's way. 2: Vettori's bowling. Tight during New Zealand's two wins, he was not at his best when Australia took the decisive step and went out boldly at Sydney, making 301 for nine. They attacked the New Zealand bowlers rather than let them call the tune. In Australia's wins, Vettori's one wicket from 20 overs cost 106. Australia had a plan to prevent the left-arm spinner getting wickets. He finished with two for 187 in the series. 3: The Sydney loss. Forget Adelaide. Australia won that decisively, bowling well and having the Hussey brothers get them home with a century stand. Sydney - Vettori sent Australia in when he probably should have batted on a good pitch and a hot afternoon - was the one that got away, even if Elliott and Brendon McCullum gave the Aussies a late fright. 4: The batting in Brisbane. Guptill and Diamanti almost got New Zealand the win, but the Black Caps' batting didn't really deserve it. Granted they had a policy of putting the foot down with rain about all day and threatening again, but some of the shots were brainless. Five wickets fell in 28 balls. It could have been an embarrassing finale.

[spectre]

that would be yuvraj .raina is no way near

well that's your opinion, for me, Raina is the best looking shotmaker in the team, his shots look so much class Yuvraj is the cleanest striker, best in the world for this Dont bring Sehwag here, he is a bludgeoner :--D

[Show_stopper]

India better do something about this poor record of theirs in NZ to shut these guys up once and for all.

[Ram]

India is the team to beat in limited overs cricket, whether it be ODI cricket or T20 cricket. We are the yardstick, the benchmark and other teams WANT to play against us to see how good they really are.

[Lord]

well that's your opinion, for me, Raina is the best looking shotmaker in the team, his shots look so much class Yuvraj is the cleanest striker, best in the world for this Dont bring Sehwag here, he is a bludgeoner :--D

Rohit Sharma? Dont say hes in bad form and SRT?

[cowboysfan]

kiwis chink in armor is their batting against spinners-we should be able to exploit that.

[Show_stopper]

kiwis chink in armor is their batting against spinners-we should be able to exploit that.

And they are still stuck up in the age old conservative approach in their batting..couple of early wickets and they wouldn't dare counter attack unlike us.

[Show_stopper]

Rohit Sharma? Dont say hes in bad form and SRT?

Dude its his opinion..learn to respect that.

[Ram]

And Daniel Vettori is day-dreaming if he is hoping the usual 'tigers-at-home, lambs abroad' tag is still sticking to the Indian team. One good look at our team and it wont be long before ANYONE who knows his cricket to realize that we've got the tools to do well ANYWHERE, under ANY conditions. If I was Vettori, I wouldnt bother spend too much time thinking about the Indian team. I'd want to get my team in order first.

[spectre]

Rohit Sharma? Dont say hes in bad form and SRT?

its personal choices mate. Personally for me, Dravid and Mark Waugh were the best, in terms of style and class in their shots...many wont agree,so what

[cowboysfan]

And they are still stuck up in the age old conservative approach in their batting..couple of early wickets and they wouldn't dare counter attack unlike us.

the way they struggled against the spin bowling of david hussey was amazing!!(T20).they didnt know how to attack the part timer and the only way they were scoring was attempting risky reverse sweeps.

[Shane]

Rohit Sharma? Dont say hes in bad form and SRT?

Abey thop kyun raha hai ... personal opinion hai sabki ... me personally Yuvraj !!! SRT, RD are legendz, but Yuvi's strokeplay can sometimes be orgasmic !!! :giggle: