5 Talking Points from the 2nd ODI between India and New Zealand

New Zealand entered into the Feroz Shah Kotla eager to turn their fortunes around in what had been a rather tumultuous tour until then. After losing the toss for the fifth successive time in this trip, the Kiwis’ chances did not look too confident at the half-way mark upon reaching only a middling total.

However, their bowlers rose to the occasion to strike regularly and prevent India from overhauling the target. They helped themselves by putting in an exemplary effort in the field to conjure a hard fought six-run victory.

Here are some of the key takeaways for both teams from the gripping contest.

#5 – Where there is a ‘Will’, there’s a way

Kane Williamson produced a stellar knock on a tricky surface

Aside from shouldering the responsibility of captaining New Zealand across all formats, Kane Williamson has also been burdened with the onerous task of leading their charge in the batting department as well. Upon losing opener Martin Guptill off the second ball of the match, the visitors needed their skipper to show the way by setting a solid platform at the top of the order.

The compact right-hander began in his own enterprising manner and rotated the strike by piercing the gaps despite MS Dhoni’s best attempts to block his scoring areas. After forming a decisive partnership with Tom Latham, he cruised to a well-compiled century which came at a healthy strike-rate.

#4 – Bumrah spears it in

Bumrah kept New Zealand’s lower-order in check

Amit Mishra had shown the benefits of having a leg-spinner in the bowling attack by prising out three extremely important wickets in the middle-overs to derail New Zealand’s progress. With the likes of Tim Southee capable of turning it on at the end, a strong finish was essential to limit the total.

Jasprit Bumrah answered his captain’s call by delivering one yorker after another and proved too difficult to get away during the business stage of the innings. The 22-year old was mainly responsible for instigating a late-order collapse which enabled the hosts to restrict the scoring opportunities as the Blackcaps could only crawl their way to 242 in spite of playing out the full quota of 50 overs.

#3 – Rohit’s painful ending

Rohit Sharma is helped off the field by the team physio

A key presence at the top of the order for India’s limited-overs batting, Rohit looked to spend some time at the crease and form a stable opening partnership with fellow Mumbaikar Ajinkya Rahane. The elegant right-hander scored a boundary as well as a maximum as the chase appeared to be well on its way.

But, he lost his concentration and attempted to unfurl an uppish drive off a back of length delivery. However, the sharp away movement took his edge even as Rohit clutched his biceps in visible pain. His agony did not seem to reduce and the physio had to help him off the field. With three more games left in the series, the team management will be concerned about Rohit’s fitness.

#2 – Corey Anderson’s contentious catch

Anderson signals his unsureness to the umpire after the grab

Though talisman Virat Kohli was sent back to the dressing room, India still seemed to be heading towards the target as Ajinkya Rahane and Manish Pandey joined hands to steady the ship. At 72/2 from the 18.3 overs, they were keen on not losing another wicket.

Following a 48-ball 28, the onus was on Rahane to not lose his patience and build a noteworthy innings. But, he miscued a pull shot and could only find the agile Corey Anderson at fine leg. Though replays showed that the ball might have bounced just in front of him, there was not sufficient evidence to overturn the on-field call which meant New Zealand had picked up another crucial breakthrough.

#1 – Not quite the twist in the tail

Hardik Pandya threatened to come in the way of New Zealand’s victory

With the hosts plummeting to 183/8, the crowd grew quiet and the Kiwis were well on their way to a rather comfortable win. However, Hardik Pandya and Umesh Yadav combined together to bring India back into the contest through a carefully orchestrated partnership.

Requiring only 11 runs from 8 balls to pull off a miraculous victory, Pandya got tempted by the opportunity and decided to flat-bat a short delivery over the in-field. Neither getting enough power nor adequate elevation, his misjudgment effectively ended India’s hopes and New Zealand had the last laugh to register their first ODI win in the country after almost 13 years.