Tour of New Zealand 1998-99Captain: Mohammad Azharuddin
Fortieth Test tour
Sixth Test-playing tour of New Zealand by India
(December 1998-
January 1999)
The Indian selectors reinstated Harbhajan Singh when the bowler was cleared of bowling with an illegal action a by former England spinner Fred Titmus during a two-day visit to London.
The First Test was abandoned without a ball bowled, and an one-day match arranged instead.
The Indians’ return from New Zealand was overshadowed by heavy security after the Shiv Sena had ransacked the cricket board’s offices in Mumbai and threatened further disruption in protest at the forthcoming Pakistan tour of India.
Tour Party Announced:The team was announced in Mumbai on 17 November 1998.
The selectors ignored coach Gaekwad's request for a second wicket-keeper, and Wadekar said that in an emergency Dravid would don the pads.
Not selected:Nikhil Chopra, Gagan Khoda, Venkatapathy Raju, Nilesh Kulkarni, Rahul Sanghvi, Rohan Gavaskar and Jatin Paranjpe had all been considered during the meeting.
Withdrawal: Hours before the team's departure Ajit Agarkar was ruled out because of a stress fracture of his left leg, and needed torest it for 6 weeks. Robin Singh jnr was selected in his place.
One-day team announced: 30 December 1998.
Robin (Rabindra) Singh sr, Hrishikesh Kanitkar and Nikhil Chopra would bolster the Indian one-day team replacing opener Navjot Singh Sidhu, off-spinner Harbhajan Singh and medium-pacer Robin Singh jr.
Time between selection and departure from India
16 days
(17 November - 3 December)
Travel
The team had a four-day preparation camp in Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai, starting on 28 November.
Hours before the team's departure for New Zealand, the Indian team suffered a blow as the fast bowler Ajit Agarkar was ruled out because of a stress fracture of his left leg.
The team took off from Mumbai at midnight on 3 December and flew via Hong Kong to New Zealand. After an overnight delay at Auckland, they arrived in Napier on 5 December.
Time spent in New Zealand47 days
(4 December - 20 January)
On-tour selection committee
Mohammad Azharuddin (captain), Ajay Jadeja (vice-captain), Anshuman Gaekwad (coach)
Reinforcements
For the one-day matches:R R Singh snr,H H Kanitkar,N Chopra for Robin Singh jnr, N S Sidhu, and Harbhajan Singh.
•Mohammad Azharuddin’s 103 not out at Wellington added 83 with Tendulkar to hold up New Zealand.
•Sachin Tendulkar then scored a century himself (113) in the 2nd innings at Wellington.
•Srinath took 5-95 at Hamilton including two wickets in the first over.
•Rahul Dravid scored a century in each innings at Hamilton (190 and 103*), the third Indian to do so.
•Anil Kumble was India’s main wicket-taker in the series with 9 victims at a cost of 341 runs (av 37.88).
Tour Summary
P
W
L
D
Aban
Test Matches
2
0
1
1
1
Other first-class matches
2
1
1
0
-
ϯ Minor matches
1
0
1
0
-
§ One-day internationals
5
2
2
1
-
All Matches
10
3
5
1
-
Return to India
Vice-captain Ajay Jadeja along with Harbhajan Singh and Robin Singh jr (of Delhi) returned home early to make way for three specialists for the one-dayers.
At the end of the one-day series, the team left New Zealand from Christchurch, flying to Hong Kong and then to Thailand.
The original plans, to arrive at Mumbai on Thursday evening 21 January, were revised and kept a closely guarded secret in view of threats made by Shiv Sena against the cricketers.
Their flight from Bangkok arrived at Dum Dum Airport, Calcutta at 4:30 pm on 21 January 1999 amid high security. Army personnel manned all the entry and exit gates of the international terminal. So serious was the state government about the players' security that the commissioner of police cancelled a trip to Delhi for a high level meeting to supervise the whole affair.
While most players were able to make transit quite easily to their connecting airports, Mumbai and Delhi, the Karnataka players were taken to a city hotel to spend the night before catching an early flight to Bangalore next day.
The Indian skipper Azharuddin arrived in Mumbai amid more tight security along with Sachin Tendulkar, Hrishikesh Kanitkar, Nayan Mongia and coach Anshuman Gaekwad. Mongia and Gaekwad later left for Vadodara by train while Kanitkar took a flight to Pune next morning.