That was one of the banners held up at the stadium in Wellington, and while the inspiration for that would have been Slumdog Millionaire’s Oscar success no doubt, the paucity of runs would have perhaps been more appropriate as also their strategy to describe what slum slog meant.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni would not have been too impressed with what transpired at Wellington, as he was not with what happened in Christchurch. India showed they had learnt little from their experience in the first Twenty20 match as once slam bang was in great demand and recklessly so.
Sixteen runs came off the last over to take India to 149 at the half time of the second match. But really the innings overall was as disappointing as it was in Christchurch. The approach was erratic, the nerves clearly juggling, and moments of brilliance overshadowed by that old nemesis from the first match.
New Zealand showed moments of tightness in bowling but then, slipped up everything an Indian batsman decided to hit over ball sailing over the stands. Virender Sehwag was once again in the thick of things and much like the last match, disappeared even as his brilliance was still evident.
Yuvraj Singh survived some crazy run out opportunities, but managed to make a crucial half century that made the difference from India sinking lower than they had in Christchurch. Ravindra Jadeja and Irfan Pathan used their long handle, while Dhoni steered India away from trouble. But has he steered them far enough from danger?
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