NZ pace ace Chris Martin's fab fifer will give him confidence going into day five, so watch out India, say former Kiwi pacers Danny Morrison and Simon Doull
NZ pace ace Chris Martin's fab fifer will give him confidence going into day five, so watch out India, say former Kiwi pacers Danny Morrison and Simon Doull
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| NZ pacer Chris Martin charges in on Day Four of the first Test against India at Motera yesterday.
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There's something about draws and New Zealand touring India for Tests. Just when yet another draw seemed inevitable for the fifth time in six Tests, paceman Chris Martin (5-25) produced the spell-of-a-lifetime to inject a new lease of life into the business end of the first Test at Motera here. India suffered their second worst start in history, when restricted to 15-5. The only performance that topped that was when India were six runs for five wickets against England at The Oval, in 1952.
Yesterday, roughly 2000 spectators turned up at the Motera Stadium on a festive Sunday, and witnessed speedster Martin present the visitors the grand opportunity of registering only their third ever Test win on Indian soil, and first since their famous win in Bombay in 1988-89.
Former New Zealand fast bowlers (and now commentators here) Simon Doull and Danny Morrison reckon Martin proved that pitching the ball up could bring about the downfall of the best. His first four scalps ufffd Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar and Suresh Raina ufffd were all with deliveries that were pitched up.
"There was definitely more swing in the offing, and Martin exploited it beautifully. He induced false shots from quality players, and deserves the success. For a 33-year old, he is supremely fit, and such a performance is sure to give him more confidence going into the last day," Doull told MiD DAY.
Morrison was floored by Martin'su00a0 quick stuff. "This is the beauty of cricket. Martin hasn't played top-flight cricket since March, and for him to get into a lovely rhythm, and set up the dismissals so beautifully, it was a breathtaking spell of fast bowling. He proved that it just takes a wicket to get your tail up," Morrison told MiD DAY.
The hosts led by 110 runs with four wickets in the bag at stumps.
If New Zealand win today, it will be the first instance of a team chasing down runs at this ground. Remember Javagal Srinath bowling South Africa out for 105 in the 1996-97 Test here?
"It's not a harsh pitch, New Zealand will believe they can get the job done, they are confident," said Doull.
"Chasing 130 will be really tough and they wouldn't be wanting to chase 150. It's a slow track, not a nasty one, but has a little uneven bounce. The ball is doing different things, and it will take just a few wickets for India to get into a rhythm. Zaheer Khan would be looking to bring all his experience in. The Test is heading for a fascinating finish. However, reverse swing seems to be tougher to extract.
"The series was tipped as the David-Goliath battle, but now India must raise their standard. It makes the series more exciting," concluded Morrison.
