1st ODI: Kiwis beat India by 24 runs

NAPIER: With his rugged looks, aggressive mien and cavalier batsmanship, Virat Kohli surely doesn't have to bother too much with the art of wooing; but, clearly, he prefers to live dangerously and, maybe, even believes in the age-old philosophy that the real thrill is in the chase. On a bright, sunny day, as the country was kicking to life back home, he probably learnt an important lesson in this high-risk game: some chases don't turn out the way you expect or want them to. He must have felt like a jilted lover as he returned to the pavilion, and worse when India eventually fell short by 24 runs in the first One-dayer here. It was, however, an exciting affair as long as he was in the middle, playing his shots with gay abandon and brute power; India even looked on the path to glory when he and Mahendra Singh Dhoni took turns to tease and torment the clueless New Zealand bowlers. They added 95 delightful runs and at 224 for four in the 43rd over, the 292-run target looked within reach. But Dhoni's attempt to stay abreast with Kohli's strokeplay, ranging from drives, pulls to inside-out shots, saw him glove a bouncer; it brought the chase to an abrupt end, even though it didn't become apparent immediately. Ravindra Jadeja lasted three deliveries for a sum total of zero, and a disappointing match overall, to ring the alarm bells. Kohli's exit (123 runs: 111b, 11x4, 2x6), after an eventless over in between, brought the curtains down. The tail construed 31 runs more, and the facade of a fight; but the three-wicket burst provided New Zealand the daylight needed to get back on top. Mitchell McClenaghan struck the three crucial blows to return with a pleasing haul of four wickets. The man of the match, however, was the man of the moment: Corey Anderson. The burly all-rounder, who blitzed his way to a record-breaking 36-ball century on the new year, showed he can be worth his weight in gold in the IPL: he brought forth the crucial breakthrough in the form of Shikhar Dhawan after Rohit Sharma succumbed early; he also accounted for Ajinkya Rahane who was just about settling down for a big one. But Anderson's real contribution came earlier, with the bat, shortly after Kane Williamson (71: 88b, 7x4) and Ross Taylor (55: 82b, 1x4) set up the platform for a blastoff. Sandwiched between Brendon McCullum and Luke Ronchi's 30 each, he unveiled his range of crisp shots to collective oohs and aahs; his unbeaten 68 was studded with mighty pulls, one of them landing on the roof and the other sailing even beyond, and sharp drives. He kept an eye open for the field and picked up gaps easily or hit over it when he could get under the ball. India's pacers began weakly but soon found the right line and length; they also orchestrated wickets at crucial times to keep the match within grasp. As the Black Caps exploded in the middle, they responded with near-perfect yorkers in the death overs. They may have prevented NZ from crossing 300, and going much ahead, but 292 was always going to be tough. Even with Kohli, the chase master, ready to play with fire.   TOI