India left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh made an immediate impact in the first ODI against New Zealand at Eden Park, Auckland, on Wednesday, dismissing Will Young and Henry Nicholls during an impressive opening spell. His early breakthroughs helped India put the hosts under pressure in the opening powerplay.
After winning the toss, Indian captain Shubman Gill elected to bowl first under overcast conditions. Arshdeep justified the decision by troubling New Zealand’s top order with sharp movement, bounce and disciplined bowling.
Arshdeep opened India’s account in the fifth over by sending Will Young back to the pavilion for nine runs. The dismissal came off the third delivery of his third over, when the left-arm seamer bowled a sharp, rising bouncer from a hard length.
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Young attempted an instinctive pull shot but failed to keep the ball down. The delivery caught the top edge of his bat and went high towards square leg. Shreyas Iyer moved quickly from mid-wicket and completed a comfortable catch. Young’s 11-ball stay ended with two boundaries, leaving New Zealand at 22/1 after 4.3 overs.
Shreyas Iyer settles under it and makes no mistake! 👏
Will Young has to head back to the pavilion. 🎯
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Arshdeep continued his impressive spell by removing Henry Nicholls, who also scored nine runs before finding Naman Dhir at mid-wicket. The second wicket further strengthened India’s position and reduced the hosts to 44/2 in nine overs.
Despite the early setbacks, Tim Seifert provided some resistance with an unbeaten 22, including a six. Daryl Mitchell joined him at the crease as New Zealand looked to rebuild their innings against India’s disciplined bowling attack.
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Arshdeep’s ability to generate extra bounce proved particularly valuable in the conditions at Eden Park. His decision to take the new ball ahead of Mohammad Siraj also paid immediate dividends, giving India the perfect start to the ODI series.
