Aggressive southpaws Gautam Gambhir of India and New Zealand's Jesse Ryder are the hot ones to watch in today's warm-up at Chennai
Aggressive southpaws Gautam Gambhir of India and New Zealand's Jesse Ryder are the hot ones to watch in today's warm-up at Chennai
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Gautam Gambhir and Jesse Ryder have a lot in common. Both are aggressive left-handers, have Test double tons to their name, and will be appearing in their maiden World Cup soon.
India and New Zealand will lock horns in the final World Cup warm-up tie here at the MA Chidambaram Stadium today. It will be the last opportunity to iron out whatever red marks both camps have.
"I am very excited (about playing my first World Cup). Obviously, I was disappointed to miss out the last time. Hopefully, I can deliver the goods for the country," an upbeat Gambhir told MiD DAY just minutes before rushing off with the rest of his teammates after a training session yesterday.
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| Jesse Ryder pics/getty images |
India and New Zealand have met seven times in the World Cup, with the latter holding a 4-3 win advantage.
However, the Black Caps are undergoing their worst-ever run in ODIs, having won only two of their 18 games.
They have been whitewashed by both India and Bangladesh since the start of this year, and recently suffered another jolt as Daniel Vettori announced his decision to quit the top job after the World Cup.u00a0
The average first innings total at Chennai is 262, but unlike in Bangalore, dew is a factor here.
Meanwhile, skipper MS Dhoni said it was important for his side to pick up the intensity despite their 38-run win against Australia on Sunday. "We have to pick up a bit of intensity and this will be evident on the field against New Zealand," Dhoni told reporters yesterday, adding:u00a0 "Sachin Tendulkar will be playing the game. It's the last stop before Dhaka."
Also, as was first reported by MiD DAY, Dhoni confirmed that Zaheer Khan will continue to sit out. "He only has a mild groin strain. Nothing to worry about. We will feature him in the opening game at Dhaka. His addition will be a big boost to the pace attack," said Dhoni.
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