Once again, the Kiwis failed to tackle the wrist-spin duo of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal at the Bay Oval, in Mount Maunganui. While chasing a stiff target of 325 against India in the second match of the ongoing 5-match series as the hosts were bundled out for 234 as they lost the game by 90 runs. Earlier, it was a clinical effort from the batsmen as each of the top six was amongst the runs to keep the scoreboard ticking. After winning the toss, the Indian skipper, Virat Kohli decided to bat first.
The Indian openers, Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan gave India a dream start after a long time in the ODIs. The duo put on 154 runs for the first wicket after which consistent partnerships always kept them abreast with the run-rate. After 30 overs, at 173/2, they were looking good to double the score. But Virat Kohli’s wicket pegged the visitors back a bit.
Ambati Rayudu and MS Dhoni took a bit of time to get going. However, the best finisher, Dhoni cleverly collected runs by smashing five fours and a six during his 48-run knock and stayed unbeaten for the fourth consecutive time this year. India posted 324 runs for the loss of four wickets after 50 overs thanks to Kedar Jadhav’s little cameo in which he smashed 22 off just 10 balls.
WATCH – Kuldeep Yadav Grabs Two Wickets In Two Balls
New Zealand, frankly, never looked like chasing the total. India’s new ball bowlers Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammed Shami dismissed Kane Williamson and Martin Guptill in inside the first powerplay. The spinners took control of the proceedings then and bamboozled the opposition. New Zealand didn’t have any answers to their variations and apart from Doug Bracewell, nobody stuck around. They lost six wickets within 27 overs itself and only formalities were left when Bracewell put up a stunning fight. It wasn’t enough either and India comfortably extended their lead with a 90-run victory.
For his phenomenal performance, Rohit was adjudged as man of the match, he said, “We didn’t know how the pitch will behave. The last time when SL and NZ played here, it was a high scoring game. When we got 324, we thought it was a par score and not a big score. Credit to our bowlers for doing a good job. (On his 14 century stands with Dhawan) We know each other since long and have a good understanding. Important for the team to get a good start and I have always enjoyed batting with Shikhar, I am sure it’s the same for him too. Lovely ground here and it was nice to see such a big crowd on open ground.”
The Indian skipper was elated after the win and termed it as clinical.
WATCH – Fast Hands Of MS Dhoni Sends Ross Taylor Back
Kohli said, “Clinical performance again. We had a par score as Rohit mentioned with the kind of pitch and boundary dimensions here. But we bowled really well and back-to-back clinical performances are really pleasing. I made a conscious effort after the second drinks break to take some risks. Once I got out, the new batsman had to take time. These are the things we need to look into with the World Cup nearby. We would like to score those 15-20 runs extra but at the same time, good to see us chip our way to a balanced total. That mindset is crucial for us and as is Rohit and Shikhar at the top.”
Williamson also expressed his concerns after the loss, he feels that it was frustrating. He also credited India for a clinical victory.
The Kiwi skipper elaborated, “Little frustrating, not so much the loss but how we are losing is the problem. Both surfaces so far have been slower than usual but still fair surfaces. Good signs with the ball at some points though we never got control as such. 324 was a good score that could be chased down here. There were some good steps forward, particularly by our bowlers to keep them down to 320-odd. Important not to carried away by results and focus just on small steps. If we had wickets in hand, you never know but we didn’t have wickets in hand.”
