India vs South Africa test series has finally ended in a draw, and thanks to Gautam Gambhir’s steady performance, India managed to secure a fair draw against the Proteas in their own nation for the first time. Gambhir, Dravid and Tendulkar, managed to block a lot balls, literally frustrating the South African bowlers out of their wits.

South Africa on the other hand failed to click the Indian wickets because of their strong defensive tactics. It is something the South Africans have witnessed for the first time, that India has impressively withstood their bowling attack on day five. There were hundreds of balls blocked, as India came with a mindset of heading towards a draw before the commencement of fifth day.

It was only for the fact that India managed to pin the African bowlers to the mat, it paved the way for a draw. India played at a pace of two runs an over and this is something that might have annoyed Gramme’s team, still they were heading for draw in any of the circumstances. The test will play an important role as of how has India prepared to take on the South Africans in the coming world cup which will be held in the subcontinent this year.

Source: CricInfo

The India vs New Zealand 2nd ODI in Jaipur turned out to be another thriller, as Gautam Gambhir and his bowlers guided India to a 2-0 lead over the guests. New Zealand had to bat first after Gambhir who was the captain in place of M.S. Dhoni chose to bowl, and the visitors managed to score only 258 odd runs on the score board. The pitch was tricky and India had a task ahead of them, they had to win this game at any cost.

After Gambhir and his men took the field, the captain showed the world that he is capable of taking responsibility too, and impressively scored a ton. He clocked 138 runs from 116 balls, as he toyed around with the Kiwi bowlers.

We cannot blame the New Zealanders for their loss and sad performance, India needs to consider that they played in very extreme conditions compared to their country. The pitch was slow and cracking and this is something directly opposite to what they have back home. Indian bowlers took their wickets at regular intervals and as a matter of fact they failed to perform, giving India only 258 runs to chase. What will be exciting to see is that if India clinches the next match, then we have the series.

Source: CricInfo