Super Eight Schedule
June 11 Ireland vs New Zeland
June 11 England vs South Africa
June 12 Pakistan vs Sri Lanka
June 13 New Zealand vs Pakistan
June 14 England vs India
June 15 Ireland vs Pakistan
June 16 New Zealand vs Sri Lanka
June 16 India vs South Sfrica
India is placed in death group along with South Africa, England, West Indies in Round Super Eight which is scheduled to start on June 11. The other group is composed of Sri Lanka, Ireland, New Zealand and Pakistan.
Round Super Eight match will start with Ireland-New Zealand match on June 11.
India will clash with West Indies in their first Super Eight match on June 12. India take on England on June 14th and they will play their last Super Eight group match against mighty South Africa on June 16.
The top two teams in each group will be advanced to Semi-Finals.
GRPOUP A
1.India
2.England
3.South Africa
4.WestIndies
GROUP B
1.Pakistan
2.Srilanka
3.Ireland
4.New Zealand
Rohit and Gambhir script emphatic win
Finally India and Pakistan played out a one-sided Twenty20 game. Filling in for Virender Sehwag as opener, Rohit Sharma continued to give India a combination dilemma and made the chase seem like an afternoon walk in a London park. A target of 159, with extra bowlers available by the virtue of this being a 13-a-side game, was by no means an easy one, but Gautam Gambhir and Rohit managed with the ease that belies the tension an India-Pakistan match brings.
Nothing about this encounter suggested it was a warm-up game. The sell-out crowd, and the intensity in the first innings was something even the final of the actual tournament will be proud of. But in the second innings, Pakistan went into the experiment mode. They went in with an interesting strategy, interchanging the usual roles between Umar Gul and Sohail Tanvir. Gul, who usually bowls in the last 10 overs, opened the bowling, and Tanvir came on to bowl in the 10th over - none of the moves worked.
Nothing about Rohit's innings suggested that he was a makeshift opener. Although Gambhir kickstarted things with three boundaries in the first three overs, including one off Gul's first ball, it was Rohit who took the match away from Pakistan. He got going with a heave over mid-on in the third over, but the slogs were conspicuous by absence in the rest of his innings.
New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori led from the front as the Black Caps beat defending champions India by nine runs in their ICC World Twenty20 warm-up match at Lord's here on Monday.
India were on course to make the 171 they needed for victory during a fourth-wicket stand of 69 between Suresh Raina (45) and Ravindra Jadeja which featured some superb clean hitting to match the top-order fireworks of opener Rohit Sharma (36).
Left-arm spinner Vettori, who finished with excellent figures of three for 24 in three overs, had big-hitting rival captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni stumped for just six and, after Raina holed out to medium-pacer Jacob Oram, the innings fell away despite a run-a-ball 41 from Jadeja.
But India may take some heart from getting so close to the Black Caps' total without batsmen Virender Sehwag (shoulder) and Yuvraj Singh (stomach illness).
Although not an official match, this was the fourth time in a row that India had lost to New Zealand in the shortest form of the game to go with three defeats in full Twenty20 internationals.
"It's four in a row now and that is a bit of a concern," Dhoni told reporters. "We wanted to try a few things at the end, especially when it came to the length that we bowl, but sadly it didn't work for us."
Vettori had forecast on Sunday that spin would have an important role to play at this tournament and he was as good as his word.
The skipper, who held a fine caught and bowled chance off a hard-hit drive from Yusuf Pathan, used eight bowlers in all with all-rounder Oram taking one for 18 from his three overs.
New Zealand had made 170 for seven after losing the toss.
Ross Taylor, dropped by wicket-keeper Dhoni on 22, went onto make 41 off 33 balls, including two sixes off successive Pragyan Ojha deliveries, before he was dismissed by off-spinner Harbhajan Singh.
"Confidence is a big thing in Twenty20, even in warm-up games, and we've got another tough one (against Australia at the Oval) tomorrow (Tuesday) but hopefully we can perform in the same way," Taylor said.
"I think 170 was a par score on that wicket and we had enough momentum to have a go at the end.
"The way we started (bowling) was probably a little disappointing but the way we pegged them back, for us to do well in this tournament we will have to bowl like we did at the death today," Taylor added.
New Zealand's innings was given late impetus by James Franklin who made an unbeaten 27 off just 10 balls and struck left-arm quick RP Singh for two sixes and a four in three deliveries in the last over.
The Black Caps managed a highly competitive total even though fast bowler Ishant Sharma took a wicket in each of his four overs on his way to figures of four for 25.
India v New Zealand at Lord's
Jun 1, 2009
Match scheduled to begin at 17:30 local time (16:30 GMT)
India squad
MS Dhoni*†, G Gambhir, Harbhajan Singh, RA Jadeja, Z Khan, P Kumar, PP Ojha, IK Pathan, YK Pathan, SK Raina, V Sehwag, I Sharma, RG Sharma, RP Singh, Yuvraj Singh
New Zealand squad
NT Broom, IG Butler, BJ Diamanti, JEC Franklin, MJ Guptill, BB McCullum†, NL McCullum, PD McGlashan, KD Mills, IE O'Brien, JDP Oram, JD Ryder, SB Styris, LRPL Taylor, DL Vettori*
Sachin Tendulkar has said he is confident about India defending its World Twenty20 title and expects the pace attack to come good in English conditions. "It is on par with the best," he told Daily News and Analysis. "Zaheer [Khan], Ishant [Sharma] and RP Singh form a lethal combination, particularly in English conditions. Our seam attack has a lot of variety and would come handy in such conditions. On our day, we can demolish any batting side."
Tendulkar, who will not take part in the World Twenty20, had stressed the need for the Indian players to get adequate rest ahead of the competition after an intense IPL. He had singled out India's opening combination, Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir, which had struggled in the IPL, to fight fatigue in the lead-up to the tournament in England.
When asked about Sehwag's poor run, Tendulkar said: "Every player has ups and downs in his career and Viru [Sehwag] is no exception. But an on-song Viru is a delight to watch. If he gets one cover drive right, he'll mesmerise everybody and will again be back to his best. The bowlers will be at his mercy then. He is a superb striker of the ball ... on his day, he can do anything."
Tendulkar tipped India as the favourites for competition, for he felt that rather than just some individuals making the difference, the team is the best balanced outfit around. "We come as a package," he said. "I am certain this package is the best in business at the moment. This package has everything which is necessary to make us world champions once again.
"India is the most balanced side in the world and there is no doubt we can defend the title. We have very good cricketers in our side and we have proved that this combination is the deadliest."
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