India secure first New Zealand series in years

WELLINGTON – India secured their first series win in New Zealand since 1968 on Tuesday despite rain cheating them of a huge victory in the third Test here Tuesday.

The draw at the Basin Reserve was all the tourists needed for a 1-0 series win, breaking the 41-year gap since their last series victory in New Zealand.Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said the mood in the dressing room after the long awaited win was ‘fantastic’.’We have achieved something that is big, but the tough part is to maintain it,’ he said afterwards.’I think it will be tougher for the next guys who come here.’As number three ranked team in the world, the ever-improving India were always expected to overcome an inconsistent New Zealand, ranked eighth. India’s star-laden batting line-up and more than competent bowling attack proved too much for New Zealand, with a modest bowling attack and brittle and inexperienced batting line up.New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori said India deserved to be bracketed with Australia and South Africa at the peak of world cricket.’They’re obviously starting to prove themselves away from home,’ he said.’I think you can throw Australia, South Africa and India in there as the three best teams in the world, it’s hard to distinguish between the three at the moment.’The skipper said his side’s patchy performances continued to frustrate their attempts to rise higher up the world Test rankings.’We’ve been inconsistent but we’ve only lost one Test match. I think people have to remember that,’ he said. But New Zealand had the weather to thank for not losing a second Test in the series on Tuesday, with the home side poised on the brink of a humbling defeat at 281 for eight when rain led to the game being washed out early in the afternoon.With only two second-innings wickets remaining, New Zealand remained 336 runs adrift of the massive target of 617 set by India when they declared at 434 for seven early on Monday.By then the series win was a formality, with India needing only a draw after coming to Wellington with a 1-0 lead after thrashing the hosts by 10 wickets in the first Test in Hamilton. The third Test draw calls into question Dhoni’s caution in deciding to bat on during the early part of the fourth day to extend India’s lead to 616, although rain on Tuesday had been forecast for several days. The highest successful Test fourth innings run chase was 418 scored by the West Indies against Australia in 2003.Meanwhile, New Zealand’s cricket selectors took a gamble yesterday by including injury-plagued allrounder Jacob Oram in a 15-man squad for the Twenty20 World Cup.Oram took no part in New Zealand’s three-test series against India because of a variety of injuries but had been chosen in the hope he would be fit, selector Glenn Turner said.Turner said New Zealand had to choose a versatile squad for the T20 tournament because of uncertainty about weather conditions in England in June.’We’re really not sure what conditions will prevail,’ he said. ‘But being able to take 15 players means we have hopefully been able to cover all angles. The New Zealand squad includes wicketkeeper Peter McGlashan, who played in New Zealand’s limited-overs series against India this summer, and uncapped medium pace bowler and batsman Brendon Diamanti.- Nampa-AFP