India vs New Zealand Part 13, 1999/00: Dion Nash’s Spell and a Sachin Tendulkar First
New Zealand bowled out India for 83 in the first session, but India turned things around to win the series. Amidst that, Tendulkar scored his first double hundred in Test cricket.
The 1999/00 series began in Mohali, and Indian fans must have had a sense of déjà vu on the first morning. Just like Simon Doull less than a year ago, Dion Nash (6-27) tore through the Indian line-up. India were bowled out for 83 in 27 overs.
Srinath (6-45) then hit back to restrict New Zealand’s lead to 132. It might have been a convincing lead, but the top five Indians – Devang Gandhi (75), S Ramesh (73), Rahul Dravid (144), Sachin Tendulkar (126*), Sourav Ganguly (64*) – all got runs to help India declare on 505/3. New Zealand lost seven wickets in the fourth innings, but Stephen Fleming’s 325-minute 72 helped them save the Test. India vs New Zealand Part 12, 1998/99: Simon Doull Demolishes, Rahul Dravid Resists.
India then won by eight wickets in Kanpur. On a turning track, Anil Kumble (4-67 and 6-67) came to his elements to help India bowl out New Zealand for 256 and 155. Harbhajan Singh and Sunil Joshi got vital wickets as well, as did Daniel Vettori (6-127). Amidst this, Gandhi (88) and Ramesh (83) gave India their second consecutive major opening stand.
At Ahmedabad, after a decade-long wait, Tendulkar finally got his elusive maiden double hundred. His 217, along with Ramesh’s 110 and Ganguly’s 125, helped India declare on 583/7. New Zealand were bowled out for 308 against Kumble (5-82), but Tendulkar did not enforce the follow on, a decision that drew subsequent criticism. India vs New Zealand Part 11, 1995/96: India Win Damp Squib.
Tendulkar opened batting himself in pursuit of quick runs. He eventually gave his bowlers a full day and 13 overs to bat out, but it did not matter. They got only two wickets.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 21, 2021 06:31 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).