Shivam Dube bowled the most expensive over by an Indian bowler as he conceded 34 runs, breaking the previous record set by Stuart Binny. (Photo Credit: Getty Images)
New Delhi:
There was carnage at the Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui in the fifth and final Twenty20 International between New Zealand and India on Sunday. Tim Seifert and Ross Taylor were staging a recovery after India had removed the openers, Colin Munro and Martin Guptill cheaply while Tom Bruce was run-out. Tim Seifert and Ross Taylor were slowly reviving the innings as they stitched a solid stand. After nine overs, New Zealand wer 64/3. KL Rahul, who was captaining the Indian cricket team in then absence of Rohit Sharma who had suffered a calf injury, brought Shivam Dube into the attack. What followed was absolute carnage.
Dube bowled a length ball and Seifert ambled down the pitch to maul him into the stands at deep midwicket. The second ball from Dube was short and Seifert thumped a pull shot to deep square leg but the ball burst through the fingers of Washington Sundar and a second six was declared. The third ball was full and outside off but Seifert moved to the off side and paddled it past Rahul for a boundary. After a single was conceded off the fourth ball, Dube bowled a no-ball and Taylor swung him to deep square leg. However, Sundar slipped and the ball went to the boundary. The free-hit was dispatched for a six and the carnage ended when Taylor mauled yet another six to deep midwicket. With the sequence of 6,6,4,1,4nb,6,6, Dube conceded 34 runs in the over.
It was the second-most expensive over in the history of Twenty20 Internationals behind Stuart Broad's six sixes during the 2007 World T20 clash against India in Durban famous for Yuvraj Singh's feat. It is the most expensive over by an Indian in T20Is, breaking the previous record of 32 set by Stuart Binny in the clash against West Indies in 2016 at Fort Launderhill in Flordia. In that match, Evin Lewis blasted two sixes off the first two balls while the third ball was a wide. Lewis proceeded to thump three more sixes while the last ball was a single.
With six defeats in seven Super Over encounters, the consistent string of losses indicates to a lack of a strong character in the New Zealand team. The losses seem to suggest that the batsmen lack the mental strength to deliver the finishing punches. They would be better off to look at Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma as to how they finished the innings off if they are to overturn their poor record.
After losing a Super Over clash for the fifth time in six encounters, New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson remarked that Super Overs were not really his good friend and jokingly remarked that there should be no Super Overs. "Super Overs aren't really our friends. To be honest we would have liked to get across the line earlier and not in the Super Over. It's just a shame that we couldn't get past the line. In my opinion, we shouldn't have them (jokingly). Look it is what it is. It's good fun. We had a full house at midnight, which is really cool. It's good entertainment," Williamson remarked.
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At the other end, India were boosted by a fantastic effort from Rohit Sharma, who blasted 65 and smashed two sixes in the last two balls to give India a series win. Rohit said there is no training possible for Super Over eventualities. In fact, the Indian team wasn't aware of the Super Over and was made aware of the situation only after the match had finished in a tie. "I don't know if you can train for a Super Over. We've got a T20 specialist in Bumrah. For him, Super Over or whether he bowls in a T20 match is the same for him. There's no training required there for him. But for the batters, you generally see who's in good nick on that particular day and you assess and try and get that guy to bat. Probably if I hadn't got the 60 today, probably it wouldn't have been me going to face the Super Over. It could have been Shreyas Iyer or someone else," Rohit said.
