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Ganguly's men up against it Wisden CricInfo staff - December 31, 2002
Already struggling to register their first win on tour, India won't be encouraged by their record at the Jade Stadium. They have lost all four one-day internationals here - three against New Zealand, and one against Australia in the three-nation Rothmans Cup in 1989-90. As if that wasn't bad enough, India also lost the Super Max game which kicked off their current tour. New Zealand, on the other hand, have enjoyed playing here in recent times, winning five of their last seven matches. Their only losses came against Australia and South Africa, the two best one-day teams. Overall, New Zealand have a 17-16 win-loss record at Christchurch.
Sourav Ganguly's dismal luck with the toss might just work to his advantage here. In the last 14 matches at the Jade Stadium, only twice has the captain calling correctly gone on to lead his team to a win. India have won the toss all three times they played New Zealand at this venue, and ended up losing the matches by handy margins - 70 runs, six wickets and nine wickets.
In 35 matches here, the team batting first has won 19 times. However, in nine day-night ODIs, the team chasing has triumphed on five occasions.
Christchurch has been one of the least-favourite venues for Indian batsmen: in four ODIs, only once have they survived the entire 50 overs, while they have been bowled out for under 170 twice. India's highest score here is 230, achieved the last time they played here in 1998-99, but it was woefully inadequate against a victory target of 301.
The average first-innings score here is 235, but the pitches have been far more batsman-friendly of late. In the last seven matches - only two of which have been won by the team chasing - sides batting first have scored more than 300 three times, and only twice have sub-280 scores been registered (one of them being England's 196 in a 42-overs-a-side contest in 2001-02). New Zealand's match against Australia in 1999-00 produced a whopping 650 runs: replying to Australia's 349 for 6, New Zealand hit up 301 for 9 - the third time in the last seven tries here that they scored 300 or more here.
Seamers have picked up more than 80 percent of the wickets here. Their 365 scalps have come at 29.56, and an economy rate of 4.46, while spinners have managed just 90 wickets at 37.41, conceding 4.5 runs per over.
S Rajesh is sub editor of Wisden.com in India.
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