England vow to cash in on tired Aussie bowlers

ADELAIDE,  - England want to capitalise on the lingering fatigue of Australia's bowlers in this week's second Adelaide Ashes Test, coach Andy Flower said on Tuesday.

There are only three days of recovery time between the drawn Gabba Test which ended Monday and the renewal of hostilities on Friday at the Adelaide Oval.

England go into the Test with the momentum after fighting back from a 221-run innings deficit to grind down the Australian bowling attack over 152 overs and 10-and-a-half hours to draw the Brisbane opener.

Flower said the Adelaide Test would provide the chance to follow it through against wearied opponents.

"I think in reality, yes, that is the case," Flower told reporters.

"Ideally you want to move on as quickly as possible whether you've done well or poorly in the last match, but obviously there is fatigue for some of the bowlers after long spells. Confidence, or lack thereof, is passed from one match to the next.

"So yes, there is definitely a connection there."

England's bowlers will be the relatively fresher after they were required to bowl only 26 overs at Australia in the second innings having rested during Sunday and most of Monday's play.

"I think winning is a habit and fighting out of tough situations is a habit as well, I'm glad our guys are responding in that way to any adversity, and that's what we expect of them," Flower said.

"I think our batsmen showed they can handle the attack, but that is only one Test we've just played, and the real test is over the long term.

"I expect them to fight hard and I expect our team to fight hard."

The tourists are expecting off-spinner Graeme Swann to be more influential in the Adelaide Test after he claimed just two wickets for 161 off 50 overs in Brisbane.

"Historically, the Adelaide Oval wicket turns and does give the spinners a little bit of help so yes of course (we expect more)," Flower said.

"He's a really experienced campaigner, Graeme Swann, and I think if anything that fires him up, so that'll give him chances."

"Whatever conditions we're faced with you've got to use them as well as you can.

"We played a really good three-day tour game here a little while ago against South Australia and it was really valuable to play on the Test square, and our guys enjoyed playing on that surface."

Flower is back at work after being forced into hurried minor skin cancer surgery in Brisbane last week.

No UDRS in India-SA Tests

Johannesburg: The controversial Umpire Decision Review System (UDRS) will not be used during India's tour of South Africa next month, coach Corrie van Zyl said.

Van Zyl said he was in favour of UDRS but the system will not be used in the Test series, given India's opposition to it.

"I like UDRS and it does eradicate a lot of decisions that are wrong, which can only be good for the game. But, we are not going to use it and that's the end of it," van Zyl said.

Implementation of UDRS in bilateral series depends upon the two playing countries and a CSA official also said the system will not be used in the three-match Test series starting on December 16 at Centurion.

South Africa have used the UDRS in other home series, most recently against England in 2009-10, and coach van Zyl said he was not disappointed with the decision not to use it against India.

"I'm not disappointed, I almost knew it was not going to happen in any case, so it's not a major disappointment, and it will still be a very good series without it," van Zyl said.

South African skipper Graeme Smith was also in favour of using the UDRS consistently in all series.

India, who have used UDRS only once during a series in Sri Lanka in 2008, are strongly opposed to the system.

UDRS has been used in Australia, South Africa, England, New Zealand and West Indies and has found support from several captains and players.

Preview: India look to maintain momentum

Jaipur: Young Virat Kohli will be the cynosure of all eyes as a new-look India seek to continue the team's dominating run at home in the current calendar when they take on New Zealand in the second One-dayer on Wednesday.

In the absence of the creme de la creme of Indian cricket, the dashing right-hander from Delhi gave enough indication of why he is the one to look for in future with a match-winning century in the opening match in Guwahati.

With regular stars such as skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh being rested for the first two one-dayers, Kohli stole the limelight with a fine hundred that paved the way for India's 40-run win in the series opener.

The young Kohli, going through a dream run having scored two back-to-back tons in Ranji Trophy apart from his second successive ODI century, would be keen to bat the way he has been doing of late at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium on Wednesday.

India have a good record at this venue winning six out of 10 matches, the last being a humdinger against South Africa in February when the hosts won by one run.

India won the series against the Proteas 2-1 and pipped Australia 1-0 in the rain-hit series in October.

Going into the second one-dayer against the Kiwis, what would also keep the momentum in India's favour, is that both Daniel Vettori and Brendon McCullum are still doubtful starters for Wednesday's match.

The New Zealand skipper is suffering from a sore back, after shouldering the bulk of bowling responsibilities in the three-match Test series, and Mclluum is also down with a similar condition.

Runs from Yuvraj Singh's blade in the first match were also a welcome sight for the Indian camp.

The southpaw, who was recently demoted to contract B by the BCCI, was not at his flamboyant best but still managed to score 42 valuable runs, often employing the sweep against the slow bowlers to good effect.

Stand-in captain Gautam Gambhir, coming on the back of a decent Test series, looked solid as long as he was there at the crease in the first match.

And, with this being the last home series before the upcoming World Cup, the left-hander would be keen to spend as much time in the middle as possible.

Keeping the scoreboard ticking during powerplays and accelerating in the death were areas of concern in the first match and are something the hosts would like to improve upon in the next match.

India nearly gave it all away by losing their last six wickets for just 26 runs after Kohli, in the company of Yuvraj, laid a solid platform.
A cameo from Yusuf Pathan down the order, however, helped the hosts set New Zealand a challenging target.

As far as bowling is concerned, India, like in the first match, would again look to their spinners, especially Ravichandran Ashwin to stem the flow of runs in the middle overs on a strip that can be called more than decent.

The Chennai Super Kings off-spinner bowled beautifully inside the powerplays and picked up three important wickets, including that of Ross Taylor who top-scored for the visitors with a well-compiled 66.

S Sreesanth deserves special mention for picking up three wickets, but Ashwin and Yuvraj's contributions with ball were no less important in the context of the match.

Apart from team composition and form, what could play a crucial role is the dew factor. So, the team winning the toss would, in all probability, opt to bowl first as gripping the ball becomes difficult when the dew comes into play in the second session, at this time of the year.

For New Zealand, it was a case of so near yet so far in the series opener. The Kiwis were in with a chance at one stage but the wicket of stand-in skipper Taylor at a crucial juncture, seemed to have changed the course of the match.

It was no surprise that Taylor later regretted his shot selection. Nothing would boost the visitors more than the return of Vettori and McCullum, but if Tuesday's net session was any indication, the two still looks doubtful.

The team management though, boosted by the appointment of former England coach Duncan Fletcher as its full-time coaching consultant, has its fingers crossed.

Fletcher, who has just joined the squad, has been hired by New Zealand Cricket (NZC) in a bid to 'keep the environment fresh' within the team.
Teams (Probable eleven):
India: Gautam Gambhir (capt), Murali Vijay, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Yusuf Pathan, S Sreesanth, Ashish Nehra, Munaf Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin
New Zealand: Grant Elliott, Martin Guptill, Gareth Hopkins (wk), Jamie How, Nathan McCullum, Andy McKay, Kyle Mills, Scott Styris, Ross Taylor, Daryl Tuffey, Kane Williamson.

Eng have belief to win Ashes: Strauss

Brisbane: England's comeback to draw the Gabba Ashes opener has given the team the belief it can go and win the series with Australia, skipper Andrew Strauss said on Monday.

England came out of the high-scoring draw as moral victors after overturning a huge 221-run innings deficit to avoid defeat and fatigue Ricky Ponting's team with over 10 hours in the field ahead of Friday's second Test in Adelaide.

Alastair Cook was the hero with an unbeaten 235 as England's top three batsmen -- Strauss and Jonathan Trott -- all scored centuries, something that England have not achieved in Tests since 1924.

"There was a lot of self-belief at the start of the series, but everyone talks about the Brisbane Test and how important it is," Strauss said.

"At the end of day three it wasn't looking good for us. To come back in the match and draw it, we've got a belief we can go on and win this series from here."

The series now moves to Adelaide with just a three-day turnaround before the teams take to the field again, putting a strain on recovery time from the physical demands of spending long stints in the field for both teams in Brisbane.

"There'll be a spring in our step going to Adelaide. But you've got to transfer that onto the pitch," Strauss said.

"It's all very well strutting around a hotel lobby feeling good about yourself, you need to make sure that turns into runs and wickets."

Strauss said his team showed the same resilience England demonstrated to hold on for fighting draws against Australia in last year's first Cardiff Test and against South Africa in Cape Town last January.

"I suppose there was more drama at Cardiff and Cape Town because we took it so close to the wire," he said.

"In some ways, from the end of day three, this was a better performance really.

"All of them had to show a lot of resilience. In those other Test matches it was the lower and the middle order that got us out of trouble. This time it was the top order.

"The more of those sort of performances we get from 1-11 in the team, the more confidence it gives you to do it again."

"(In) Cardiff, definitely, we used our get out of jail card. This time we came out with a good solid draw in the end. None of it counts for anything unless we take advantage of it in Adelaide."

Virat Kohli India's max run-getter in 2010

New Delhi: Last June, Virat Kohli became the fastest Indian to aggregate 1000 runs in one-day internationals, reaching the milestone in just 24 innings. On Sunday yet again he proved just why he could become an invaluable player in India's World Cup plans as he hit his second successive ODI ton, becoming only the seventh Indian to do so.

With his second straight hundred that earned him his fourth Man of the Match award, Kohli joined the ranks with the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, VVS Laxman, Yuvraj Singh and Rohit Sharma.

If the Delhi lad gets to the three-figure mark in the second ODI in Jaipur on Wednesday, he will become the first Indian to get three successive ODI hundreds and also be within striking distance of getting 1000 runs in a calendar year.

The batsman has now aggregated 866 runs in 21 games in 2010, the most by any Indian batsman this year. Among all batsmen only three - Hashim Amla (1058), AB de Villiers (964) and Tillakaratne Dilshan (921) – are ahead of Kohli.

Kohli's fourth ODI hundred on Sunday also took him past former India opener Navjot Singh Sidhu as the Indian batsman with the highest aggregate after the first 33 innings.

In just 33 ODI innings, Kohli has aggregated 1350 runs at an average of 46.55. Sidhu previously held the record with 1271 runs.

Cook hits double century in drawn Ashes opener

 First Ashes test drawn

• Cook hits double century

• Record stand with Trott

• Australia call up Bollinger and Harris

BRISBANE,  - Australia and England drew the first Ashes test on Monday but the tourists will claim a moral victory after Alastair Cook dominated the last two days with an unbeaten double century to rescue a match that had looked lost.

Cook, who was unbeaten on a career-high 235, and Jonathan Trott, who was 135 not out, had built a record partnership of 329 when captain Andrew Strauss declared England's second innings closed at 517-1 before tea.

Australia, who were 296 runs behind, lost Simon Katich before the break but skipper Ricky Ponting, who hit 51 for his 56th test half century, and opener Shane Watson (41) ushered the hosts safely through the remaining overs to finish on 107 for one.

"It's been a very special couple of days for me, the wicket got better and better and it was just a matter of applying myself and not making any mistakes," said Cook, whose innings was the highest at the ground beating Don Bradman's 226 against South Africa in 1931-32.

"It's been a really good performance to come back from where we were. When you are so far behind you have to bat a lot of overs just to get back in the game."

Cook and Trott completely dominated the first two sessions of the day in front of a sparse fifth day crowd at the Gabba, where England supporters were more numerous and much louder.

Their disciplined partnership bettered the 307 Mike Hussey and Brad Haddin achieved to put Australia firmly in charge on Saturday and the 188 Cook and Strauss, who made 110, managed on Sunday.

It was the highest stand by Englishmen in Australia, beating the 323 achieved by Jack Hobbs and Wilfred Rhodes on the 1911/12 Ashes tour.

"The resilience to come back from the dire position in day three speaks volumes," said Strauss. "We've proved over a little while now that we're a difficult team to beat."

The "Barmy Army" were at their noisiest just before lunch when the 25-year-old Cook clipped the ball behind square to become the fourth England player to score an Ashes double century in Australia.

They were back on their feet minutes later when Trott pushed a shot through leg side and scuttled for three runs, leaping into the air in jubilation as he raced to safety and his fourth test century.

Australia's bowlers continued to struggle in the baking sunshine with the one cast-iron chance they had of separating the England batsman before lunch spilled in the slips.

All-rounder Watson, the pick of Australia's bowlers, carved out the opportunity when Trott was on 75 but Michael Clarke could not hold on to a simple catch.

Ponting thought he had caught Cook out on 209 but the umpires conferred and decided the ball had been grounded and he missed a difficult slip catch when the Englishman was on 222.

"There were concerns for sure," Ponting said. "I don't think we bowled as well as we possibly could in the second innings.

"We had a chance to really stake a claim to win the game at the start of their second innings and we weren't able to do that."

Fast bowler Mitchell Johnson's troubles continued as he ended the test wicketless at the cost of 170 runs and he will be under pressure for his place after Doug Bollinger and Ryan Harris were called into the squad for the Adelaide test.

One wretched delivery to Trott hurtled some three metres wide of the wicket in echoes of England bowler Steve Harmison's first delivery here four years ago that set the tone for England's 5-0 series defeat.

"We know we can get better, we know we can improve and hopefully we can do that," Ponting added.

The second of the five tests begins in Adelaide on Friday.

Cricket: England 439 for 1 at lunch on day five

BRISBANE, Australia,  - England were 439 for one in their second innings at lunch, leading Australia by 218 runs on the fifth and final day of the first Ashes Test at the Gabba on Monday.

Alastair Cook was unbeaten on 201 with Jonathan Trott on 100.

Australia unable to keep pressure: Watson

Brisbane: Australia have a problem sustaining pressure on opposition batsmen, allrounder Shane Watson admitted on Sunday after his side let slip a huge lead against England.

Centurions Andrew Strauss (110) and Alastair Cook put on England's highest ever partnership at Brisbane's Gabba ground to lead the team out of trouble and overturn a 221-run first innings deficit in the first Ashes Test.

The tourists finished the day on 309 for one, with Cook unbeaten on 132 and Jonathan Trott on 54, to hold an overall lead of 88 runs heading into Monday's final day.

"I think it came down to not sustaining pressure for long enough and we weren't able to do that for the whole day," said Watson, one of six bowlers used by skipper Ricky Ponting to seek a breakthrough in the England batting.

"We did it for little periods of time but unfortunately we couldn't execute for long enough to really build the pressure on them."

Australia came into the fourth day on the back of a record-breaking 307-run partnership between Mike Hussey and Brad Haddin on Saturday but were unable to capitalise on their strong position.

"It's disappointing because of how well Mike Hussey and Brad Haddin batted yesterday to get us into a position but unfortunately it's something we really haven't been able to do for a period of time, which is to sustain pressure," Watson said.

"That's something that we are continuing to work on as a group because we know how important it is on flat wickets and we know there are going to be some flat wickets for the rest of the summer."

Since the retirement of star bowlers Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne in 2007, Australia have earned a reputation for being unable to finish teams off, the latest failure coming in the one-wicket defeat to India at Mohali last month.

Australia have lost their last three Tests, something that has not happened for almost 22 years, and have slipped below England to fifth in the world rankings.

India beat New Zealand in 1st one-dayer

India secured a convincing 40-run victory in the first one-day international against New Zealand on Sunday, as Virat Kohli scored 105.

India's total of 276 looked enough, and New Zealand were out of contention at 8-169 after 36 overs before a quick ninth-wicket partnership of 67 between Nathan McCullum and Kyle Mills offered them a glimmer of hope.

But McCullum's dismissal in the 45th over allowed India to finish as the easy winners in gloomy conditions at the Nehru Stadium in Guwahati.

Kohli's century was the highlight of the game, with the right-handed number three scoring 100 off 100 balls before falling to Andy McKay, New Zealand's most effective bowler, caught by Jamie How in the 43rd over.

McKay pinned India back with four wickets for 62 runs, as the hosts' stand-in captain Gautam Gambhir scored 38 and Murali Vijay and Yusuf Pathan both chipped in with 29.

India's regular captain M.S. Dhoni was rested along with other top stars such as Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and Harbhajan Singh for the start of the five-match series.

New Zealand's regular captain Daniel Vettori was also missing due to back stiffness following the three-game Test series between the teams, which India won 1-0 with victory in Nagpur.

Ross Taylor took over Vettori's post, and top scored with 66 as his side struggled to keep up with the required run rate of 5.66 an over.

Wicketkeeper and explosive opening batsman Brendon McCullum was also absent from the touring side with back trouble, with Gareth Hopkins taking over duties behind the stumps.

New Zealand had won the toss and elected to bowl as they took into account the Guwahati ground's reputation as a tricky track to bat on early in the day.

Strauss, Cook centuries salvage England Ashes hopes

Brisbane: Centuries from Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook set up a dominating fourth day for England as the tourists reached 309-1 at stumps on Sunday and closer to a likely draw with Australia in the first Ashes Test.

England came into the day 202 runs behind Australia, but enters the final day leading by 88 with Cook unbeaten on 132 and Jonathan Trott on 54.

Strauss and Cook shared a 188-run opening stand to produce England's best ever partnership at the Gabba ground before the England captain was dismissed for 110, stumped by Brad Haddin off Marcus North.

Cook needs seven more runs to record England's best score at the Gabba and surpass Ian Botham's innings in 1986-87.

The opening partnership surpassed the stand of 160 by Graeme Hick and Graham Thorpe in 1994.

Strauss was dominant in the morning session, being particularly severe on Shane Watson who he hit for four boundaries in five overs. He brought up his first century in Australia with a superb late cut off Xavier Doherty.

Strauss then seemed to lose his rhythm, scoring just 10 from his next 40 deliveries, before a rash cross-batted shot caused his demise.

Cook looked less assured, but ground his way to his second century against Australia.

Although England toiled in the field for much of the previous day against centurions Mike Hussey and Brad Haddin, their bowlers produced a much better comeback at the end of the day, taking five wickets for 31 runs. In contrast, Australia's bowling attack failed to make an impact Sunday and, despite overcast conditions, there was no discernible swing.

In a day of few opportunities for the Australians, Trott gave a slight chance to Michael Clarke at point off the bowling of Peter Siddle.

Australia's hero in England's first innings, Siddle was also unlucky in the morning session as Cook edged just wide of third slip and later Strauss missed his leg stump from an inside edge.

Strauss was given a reprieve before lunch while on 69 when he hit a Doherty ball to Mitchell Johnson at mid-on, but the chance was dropped.

England scored 260 in the first innings before Australia notched 481 in reply with centuries from Hussey and Haddin.

Strauss, Cook in record stand to deny Aussies at Ashes

BRISBANE,  - Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook shared in a ground record opening stand to strengthen England's chances of salvaging the opening Ashes Test against Australia at the Gabba.

Eating into a 221-run innings deficit, the opening pair had taken England to 135 without loss at lunch on the fourth day to trail Australia by 86 runs.

Strauss hit some classic cover drives in his unbeaten 79 while Cook was on 51.

The pair put on their ninth century partnership together in 82 Test innings and England's highest at the Gabba.

They eclipsed the previous best of 114 at the Gabba shared between Herbert Sutcliffe and Douglas Jardine in the 1932-33 Bodyline series and David Sheppard and Geoff Pullar in 1962-63.

Australia's big moment came towards lunch when Mitchell Johnson put down a tough but catchable chance off Strauss when the English skipper was on 69.

Strauss had a rush of blood and lobbed debutant spinner Xavier Doherty to mid-off where Johnson leapt high and got both hands to the chance only to spill the ball.

Only Johnson and first-innings destroyer Peter Siddle looked threatening on the placid Gabba pitch and skipper Ricky Ponting rotated between six bowlers in search of a breakthrough.

Australia have earned a reputation since the retirement of champion bowlers Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne in 2007 of being unable to finish off teams, the latest coming in the one-wicket loss to India at Mohali last month.

NZ ODIs chance for India to regain 2nd spot

Dubai: India stand in with a chance to regain the second position in the ICC ODI Championship table when they take on New Zealand in the five-match series that begins in Guwahati on Sunday.

Currently Sri Lanka is in the second spot with 118 points - one ahead of India but a win in the series by any margin against New Zealand will see India upstage the islanders.

A 5-0 win for India will put it on 121 ratings points - seven behind Australia who currently top the table.

And even if Sri Lanka register a 5-0 win over West Indies in their upcoming ODI series, they will have to sit out in third position.

But if India lose the series 0-5 to New Zealand it would see them drop to the fifth spot.

However, a 2-3 series defeat will see India drop down fourth on 114 points while New Zealand will rise to the sixth position on 101 points.

1st ODI: Gambhir-led India ready for Kiwis

Guwahati: The Test series won and senior members including skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni given some rest because of injury concerns, a new-look India under Gautam Gambhir will take on a never-say-die New Zealand in a five-ODI series starting here on Sunday.

The series will be India's last outing in the sub-continent before they begin their campaign in the World Cup.

Thus it will be one last chance for the fringe players to prove their worth before the big summit in February-April next year to be jointly hosted by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

From the Kiwis' perspective, Daniel Vettori's men will look to erase the bitter memories of a 0-4 series loss to Bangladesh by coming down on India heavily.

New Zealanders have the ammunition in the form of an experienced lineup with the likes of Scott Styris, Ross Taylor and the skipper himself, while India will look up to their young bunch.

Besides skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, India have rested star players Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh due to injury concerns ahead of the World Cup.

In the absence of Sehwag, Murali Vijay will look to add solidity to the opening slot, while the middle-order will be in the hands of in-form Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina and the senior-most member of the side, Yuvraj Singh, who will be the cynosure of all eyes in the series.

Demoted to 'B' contract, the stylish Yuvraj is yet to get back his silken touch and the Punjab batsman will be desperate to come out of the phase and contribute with a winning knock.

In-form Kohli will be the one to watch out for as the Delhi lad is going great guns at all levels of the game.

His career-best 118 in Visakhapatnam - in the only one-dayer possible during their last series against Australia - helped India clinch the series 1-0. Kohli carried the momentum to Ranji Trophy as well and struck two back-to-back hundreds against Bengal and Tamil Nadu.

With the World Cup in mind, the selectors have also brought in the devastating Yusuf Pathan who recently had a good domestic season for Baroda both with the bat and ball.

Having got yet another chance to prove his worth before the World Cup, Pathan will have direct competition from Ravindra Jadeja to grab the all-rounder's spot in the lineup.

This series will also mean a lot to Bengal wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha who is all set to debut on Sunday as the skipper has been given rest.

Having made his Test debut by default (in place of an injured Rohit Sharma), Saha has earned his place in the first two one-dayers and the Test series against South Africa ahead of more experienced Dinesh Karthik.

The diminutive Bengal lad's skills - both with the bat and behind the stumps - will be watched closely.

Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin will look to stand tall against the Kiwi opponents in the absence of Harbhajan and Pragyan Ojha.

The new ball is likely to be shared by S Sreesanth and Ashish Nehra who has been drafted in place of Praveen Kumar - out with fever - with either R Vinay Kumar or Munaf Patel coming in as first change.

The new skipper Gambhir, who made a return in the Test squad after recovering from a knee injury, has the experience of leading IPL team Delhi Daredevils and the Delhi Ranji side and it will be a test for his leadership qualities in the first two matches that will have a direct bearing on the series.

"I am really excited. It is a dream come true for any player to lead his country; whatever opportunity I will get of leading the team is great. Hopefully, I can do well personally and also as a team. Hopefully, we can win the series," Gambhir said.

Gambhir said his past captaincy experience would be of immense help.

"I'll try to be relaxed. The experience of captaining Delhi Daredevils and the Delhi Ranji team is always of great help as I've seen and handled the ups and downs as a captain.

"But everyone has different ways and I personally feel it's all about being instinctive in the middle. Hopefully, I can do well personally and also as a team."

The Black Caps on the other hand are rich on experience, even though they will miss the services of Jesse Ryder who pulled out of the series after suffering from a calf injury.

Ryder, who was New Zealand's second best batsman after Brendon McCullum aggregating 274 in the just-concluded three Tests, has been replaced by James Franklin even as it is yet to be seen whether he is picked in the final XI.

Following a fantastic Test series that saw him notch a double century (in Hyderabad Test), McCullum will look to lead the batting pack as he is expected to reclaim the gloves from Gareth Hopkins for the one-day series.

The side is also bolstered by veteran Scott Styris while Ross Taylor will look to reinvent his lost form as he looked lackluster in the Tests.

The New Zealand selectors have also included Martin Guptill in the side while the trio of BJ Watling, Shanan Stewart and Hamish Benett who played in their 0-4 loss to Bangladesh have been ignored this time.

Kane Williamson seemed to be the find of the tour with his compact approach in the Test series and the youngster will look to cement his place in the side ahead of the World Cup.

The match at the Nehru Stadium here is seen as the last one at the venue as the Assam Cricket Association is getting ready with a new stadium in the outskirts of the city at Barsapara.

The flip side of the venue is the heavy early morning fog and the light that fades out by 4 p.m., leading to an early 8:30 a.m. start. But even that may not be enough for a full 50-over game and there could be a curtailed game in the offing on Sunday.

India had a nightmarish outing in the last match here on November 8 last year as they were reduced to 27 for five failing to negotiate the early morning movement before collapsing for 170 as Australia won by six wickets.

However, the curator Sunil Barua promised a "different" strip this time.

"It will be a sporting wicket; there will be runs. This is the best wicket I have prepared," Barua said.

Teams:

India: Gautam Gambhir (c), Murali Vijay, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Saurabh Tiwary, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Yusuf Pathan, S Sreesanth, Ashish Nehra, Munaf Patel, R Vinay Kumar and Ravichandran Ashwin

New Zealand: Daniel Vettori (c), Grant Elliott, Martin Guptill, Gareth Hopkins (wk), Jamie How, Brendon McCullum, Nathan McCullum, Andy McKay, Kyle Mills, James Franklin, Tim Southee, Scott Styris, Ross Taylor, Daryl Tuffey, Kane Williamson