Veteran Indian batter Ajinkya Rahane has slammed the Indian team after their defeat in the third and final ODI against New Zealand. The final match was played on Sunday, January 18, in Indore as well.
Batting first, New Zealand posted 337/8, powered by centuries from Daryl Mitchell (137) and Glenn Phillips (106). In reply, Virat Kohli top-scored for India with 124 off 108 balls, but his efforts went in vain as India were bowled out for 296, losing the match by 41 runs as well.
Speaking in a video on his YouTube channel on Monday, January 19, Rahane said: “If you look at yesterday’s match specifically, yes they fielded well throughout the series, but in that match alone they saved around 15 to 20 runs. Glenn Phillips and the other fielders collectively saved those runs, and I felt that created pressure. That pressure eventually came onto the Indian team. When you field well as a team and as a unit, it puts pressure on the batting side.”
“So full credit goes to the New Zealand team and their management. New Zealand always comes with good planning and thorough preparation. They are known for their strategy and planning, and most importantly, they like to keep things very simple. That is very important. I felt that New Zealand, in many ways, dominated the Indian team throughout this series.” he further added.
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In the same video, Ajinkya Rahane also applauded Virat Kohli, who registered his 54th ODI hundred in the final match of the series. Rahane also stated Kohli’s ability to rotate the strike effectively and shared that he never allowed the pressure to build as well.
“No matter how much we talk about Virat Kohli, it will never be enough. The kind of consistency he has shown, not just in this series but throughout his entire career, is remarkable. You can talk about it endlessly, and it still wouldn’t feel sufficient. India was under pressure yesterday, having lost four wickets early. In that situation, as an experienced player, it’s about taking the team out of a tough phase, and that’s something Virat has always done,” he shared.
“What I really liked about his innings was his strike rotation. He never allowed the pressure to build. He took the game deep, which was exactly what needed at that point. One player had to bat deep, play till around the 40th or 45th over, and that’s exactly what Virat Kohli did. In between, he picked his boundaries smartly. He knew where his boundary options were, which bowler to take on, and against which bowlers he needed to take fewer risks and focus on rotating the strike through singles and doubles. I thought his game awareness really stood out,” Ajinkya Rahane concluded.
