Tests result: Kiwi kids are alright

Napier, the sleepy little bay city in New Zealand's north island, seems to have left an indelible impression on MS Dhoni. For one, it remains the only city in which he has ever pulled out of captaining India in a Test, since taking over the permanent mantle of leadership.

At the picturesque McLean Park in 2009, Dhoni sat quietly on the sidelines and watched Gautam Gambhir and VVS Laxman battle it out in tough, swingy conditions to salvage India a very famous draw. At some level, he must have wanted to be there with his teammates.

Napier, hence, was the first thought that crossed his mind at the Chinnaswamy Stadium on the damp and dark Bangalore evening on Monday when he became the most successful captain for India on home soil. This time around, he was there, right at the very end — pulling off a win that looked incredibly hard before he walked out to the middle.

Following his unbeaten 48, a knock amongst some gritty others that gave India the series 2-0, Dhoni would go on to say of the pitch that he "was expecting Bangalore, but it was like Napier."

It perhaps was.

Not just for the cold, windy and swingy conditions on a turfy pitch, but also because the Kiwis, led by Ross Taylor, often played like they were at home. In their own backyard. And for that Taylor should thank a set of young quicks who are bound to terrorise world cricket, sooner rather than later.

Three of a kind

Tim Southee (23), Doug Bracewell (21) and Trent Boult (23) are not household names yet. But they will be — as they accumulate the experience that comes with playing a little more than a cumulative sum of 36 Tests. That, though, is sure to happen in additions of three, considering their individual and combined performances in Bangalore over the past week.

... contd.

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