Sherry clips Kiwi wings

It is never a great feeling to be part of a side that contrives to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, and that too, in a World Cup opener. India were sailing in pretty much the same boat, smarting from a heart-breaking one run defeat at the hands of Australia at Chepauk.

And for any team to pick themselves up after such a defeat is never easy, and the Indians realized it when their top-order wobbled after being inserted in by New Zealand.

The Indian innings bordered on disastrous lines as the top-order - Sunil Gavaskar, Krishnamachari Srikkanth and Dilip Vengsarkar made a hasty return to the pavilion as India limped to 21 for three in the tenth over.

India needed somebody to pump oxygen into their innings and one-drop Navjot Singh Sidhu provided that. The right-handed Sardar, who made his ODI debut with an impressive half-century against Australia and almost took India to victory before his dismissal coupled with a middle and lower-order slide saw them capitulate, once again shouldered responsibility to bail his side out of trouble just when it seemed they were menacing to fall apart.

He was not unperturbed by the early collapse and brought his aggressive intent to the fore, forging a half-century stand with Mohammad Azharuddin – a partnership that proved very crucial for India as fall of one or two quick wickets at that juncture would have spelt doomsay for them. Sidhu pounced on the loose balls, taking a liking for the aerial route and soon brought up his half-century even as Azharuddin was prepared to play second fiddle at the other end. Sherry’s dominance can be best underlined by the fact that he had collected 75 off 71 balls, packed with four fours and four sixes when he fell to off-spinner Dipak Patel in an Indian score of 114. In fact, Sidhu went on to slam four fifties in five innings to emerge as the second-highest run-scorer for India at the 1987 World Cup. “He was extremely riled by the fact that a reputed name in the media had called him a ‘strokeless wonder’, Those huge sixes you saw during the event, and the tournament average of nearly 86, wasn't an accident,” Sidhu’s 1987 World Cup team-mate Maninder Singh once recalled.

Sidhu’s fighting knock lent some momentum for the likes of skipper Kapil Dev and wicketkeeper Kiran More to provide the final flourish, adding 82 runs off the last 51 balls to power India to a score of 252 for seven off 50 overs.

New Zealand’s chase were kept alive by Ken Rutherford who held the top-order together with a solid 75 before Andrew Jones kept the visitors interested with a responsible half-century before his run out at the death killed their hopes, as New Zealand closed at 236 for 8 off its allotted 50 overs, giving India a 16 run win.