New Zealand defeated India in the first ODI convincingly. After getting whitewashed in the five-match T20I series, this win one was fresh air to them. However, batsman Henry Nicholls on Thursday said the ODI squad did not carry the form of the T20 side at all. They won the game on the back of Ross Taylor’s stunning hundred while the second ODI will take place in Auckland on Saturday.
“We didn’t feel it as part of the group coming in. So I wasn’t feeling any pressure and there is no need to prove anything. It was a small ground and a big chase, so it was nice we were able to do that,” Nicholls said in Auckland on Thursday.
“It was great, our biggest chase ever in ODI cricket and it was good to be able to contribute in it. In the past, playing India in India, we have had a couple of chases around the 300-mark and others we got close to. It was nice to do that again at home, and to actually win the game, it was great,” he added.
Ross Taylor smashed an unbeaten 109, with Tom Latham scored 69 off 48 balls. Their partnership laid the winning foundation for the Kiwis.
“Having someone like that at number four, especially with Kane Williamson not being there as well, the experience he brings is immense. It is not just about the runs, because batting with him in the middle, you keep having those conversations that help your batting too. The dimensions of the ground helped us and he certainly likes batting there. It was a great partnership and great knock from him. Ross being there till the end to be not out and win the game was immense for us,” he shared.
On Latham’s knock, he added: “Tom and I have played together for a long time, so I have certainly seen him play like that before. He is very versatile and adaptive to the game scenario and conditions. The way he started, well it was slow, 2 off 10 balls or something. But he managed to put the pressure back on Kuldeep (Yadav) and their other spinners. Being captain he led from the front and that partnership changed the game for us.”
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However, the second ODI will be played at Eden Park which has shorter boundaries and that could be helpful for the batsmen in the game as well.
“The short boundary proved to be really important for us. There was some breeze as well in the evening. So whenever they bowled through the middle, or bowled short, we pushed back with boundaries. Their attacking bowlers couldn’t bowl with the bigger boundary and it played into our hands. Ross managed it pretty well and again for Tom to come to the crease, and attack the way he did, it really changed the game,” Henry Nicholls expressed.
“On a short ground, the credit goes to our bowlers who realized it could be a 360-370 score. But they kept it to a smaller score which could be chase down. For us as a batting unit, we know we can chase high scores on that small ground,” concluded Nicholls.
Moreover, the batsman added that he will continue to open until the management wants him to do so.
“Opening is not too different. I am used to batting in a few different spots. I was opening a bit for Canterbury coming into this series. So I am trying to form a new partnership up top with Martin Guptill, and get those platforms in. I was disappointed to get out after a good start. But with Ross there and the way Tom started, I was confident we could get the chase done. In the end we only needed run-a-ball and it was the biggest factor for us to finish the game,” Henry Nicholls concluded.
