India Cricket's Tour of New Zealand Definitely a "Zeal" One

As a follower of Indian cricket, it is heartening to witness days like yesterday.

Even though India won the series, the dismal interference of the rain made the celebration a bit sour. The last day at the Basin Reverse almost defined the test series (at least for me). Sachin Tendulkar picking up two wickets in quick succession proved the nature of the series—complete Indian dominance, except for the forgetful first innings at Napier.

Before the tour began, during our many “dinner table” conversations, my friends, family, and I unanimously agreed this tour is the “Litmus Test” for the Indian team.

The T20 matches showed signs of Indian Tours to New Zealand usually are, but looking back now it’s almost mockingly ironic.

While going through a slideshow about the highlights of the series there were some things that stood out.

On what would be his last tour to “Kiwi Land," Tendulkar looked like a man on a mission. They say, “the older the wine the better it gets." I don’t drink so I can’t experience it but I have seen it through Tendulkar, that’s for sure.

The 163* Hamilton was Tendulkar at his very best. It was not only vintage, it was better than ever. If the ODI series saw the aggressive side of Tendulkar, then the test series was a classic example of technique and class.

However, it was disappointing to see Tendulkar getting dismissed after getting starts, but for the time that cricket’s god was present in the middle he blessed us.

Not since Tendulkar and Saurav Ghosal of the 90s—and maybe never in the tests we have come across—has an Indian opening pair been so respected (on current form) and destructive (on usual interpretation).

Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir have carved names for themselves, and for the time made the opening slot their own “ball” game (even though Sehwag wasn’t at his best in the tests).

Now, I don’t have the authority to define or characterize Sehwag, so let's leave it at “The one man who can define and understand Sehwag is Sehwag himself."

Until the time he continues to give us the entertainment that he does, I am sure nobody would mind his dismissals like those at Napier.

We all have heard enough about Gambhir this year and I don’t think there is anything left to say about him, as all the greatest of cricket writers have commented on his style and class. My own opinion is an altogether new article so I won’t touch upon that.

The success of Indians abroad in the recent years has to be credited to the bowling department as well. And spearheading this team's attack is a man named Zaheer Khan.

In Khan, India has an advantage of being able to switch to pace anytime they like, as he is an equally good bowler with the old ball. The line and length is amazing from him—so is the consistency of it.

The best part about Khan is that he, at times, outsmarts the batsmen by shear understanding of the game and nature of the batsmen. I haven’t seen the Bouncer utilized the way Khan has done in recent years from an Indian bowler.

With very good support coming from Harbhajan Singh and Ishant Sharma, Mahendra Singh Dhoni has options up his sleeve to constantly move his bowlers around and make it very difficult for the struggling batsmen.  

India has never lost a game under Dhoni and that is a very good record for any captain. However, in my opinion it is still early to term him all that the Indian media is doing—but take nothing away from him. He might not be the best to have captained India but he is certainly in the league.

From a hard-hitting, destructive, unorthodox batsmen to a mellow, straight-speaking, and politically correct Indian captain, the transition has been fast but comprehensive. We all agree Dhoni has been phenomenal as a captain and has almost always acted as the glue to stick with the tail to see the boat reach the shore.

And his sitting on the top of the rest in the ODI rankings is indicative of just that. It's not just his batting or captaincy that completes the phenomena that is Dhoni, it is the Indian team as whole.

I know that a captain is as good as his team, but the sprit with which Indians play under him is a treat for the fans and critics alike.

It is good to see no shoulders falling whatever the situation might be, as it gives an impression that winning has become hobby for this team and on the rare occasions that they don’t win—it was just a off day, that’s all.

Watching on TV, it is always nice to see the team brimming with self-confidence. In the Indian dressing rooms as of now there are players who have twice as much experience as Dhoni, but even in such an environment he manages to instill the reassurance.

This year’s edition of India to New Zealand went exactly as planned for the visitors and the singing, dancing, and bottle popping will go on for some time. But they should realize that it is consistency that makes champions.

With the national duties temporarily suspended, they are ready to adorn the colors of IPL en route to what promises to be a good T20 world cup.

It is needless to say that 2009 India to "New Zealand" was a tour that brought "new zeal” to Indian cricket.