India vs New Zealand 2016: 5 Talking Points from the 4th ODI in Ranchi

Ranchi awaited MS Dhoni’s team as the 5-match ODI series between the hosts and New Zealand began to reach a tipping point. The Kiwis called correctly for the first time in this tour and skipper Kane Williamson did not feel the need to change the prevailing trend of them batting first.

Riding on a strong showing from the top-order, they got themselves into a comfortable position. However, India’s spinners rallied hard to put the brakes on their momentum and limit the total to 260.

Despite a reasonable start, the home side let slip their advantage by losing wickets regularly in the middle-overs. Eventually, New Zealand’s unswerving approach helped them register a narrow victory and keep the series alive.

Here are some of the most important takeaways from the engrossing contest.

#5 – The new-ball conundrum

Guptill took advantage of some wayward bowling in the Power Play

Since Jasprit Bumrah was ruled out from the match, seamer Dhawal Kulkarni got an opportunity. The former’s absence might have been anticipated to be truly felt during the end overs wherein his searing yorkers provide India with a reliable operator. However, the change in the bowling department had its effect right at the start of the match. Dhoni surprisingly decided to deviate from the usual new-ball combination of Umesh Yadav and Hardik Pandya to maximize Kulkarni’s ability.

But, the move threatened to backfire with Kulkarni proving to be an expensive option against batsmen who did not shy away from flexing their muscles. Martin Guptill set the ball rolling by taking him to the cleaners even as Yadav himself was not significantly better as well.

#4 – Mishra’s action-packed day

Mishra has turned out to be a key factor during the middle stages

The canny leg-spinner had quite a day out with his work in all three departments having a bearing on the game. Employing subtle changes in length and pace, Amit Mishra procured the key wickets of Kane Williamson and James Neesham to dent New Zealand’s surge. However, the 33-year old dropped a couple of catches both of which let off Guptill.

Mishra was not quite done yet. With India’s batsmen losing their plot, he found himself walking into the middle as early as in the 36^th over itself. Not the one to give up just yet, the right-hander tried hard to assist Axar Patel in getting the chase back on track. But, a blossoming 38-run partnership was cut short after his lack of prudence resulted in a fatal run-out.

#3 – Rohit’s intriguing form

Rohit’s indifferent run extended to Ranchi as well

Among the key batsmen in India’s limited-overs batting lineup, Rohit Sharma’s repeated failures during the series have had a huge impact on the hosts. The opener could not account for the movement generated by Tim Southee and fell prey in the fifth over. From four matches, he has managed to tally only 53 runs thus making matters worse for the hosts.

Interestingly, his fortunes have been in complete contrast to the Test series wherein he had scored a half-century in each of the three matches. Normally ineffective in Tests and reliable in the white-ball formats, Rohit‘s form is starting to veer towards the opposite.

#2 – India are overly reliant on Virat Kohli

Are India an one-man team in limited-overs cricket?

Back in the 90s, India’s ODI fortunes lay heavily on Sachin Tendulkar and his broad bat. Though plenty of things have changed since then, their reliance on one individual seems to be returning with Virat Kohli following in the footsteps of the batting icon. The 27-year old’s importance to the Men in Blue can be verified by looking at what has transpired in this series thus far.

In the two ODIs that India have won, Kohli has guided them home by remaining unbeaten on 85 and 154. However, during the other two chases, his dismissal sparked imminent collapses in the middle-order with no other batsman taking on the responsibility as wholeheartedly as him. In comparison, the Test side is turning into a well-oiled unit with almost every individual playing his part.

#1 – Disciplined New Zealand not to be denied

New Zealand’s bowling attack hunted as a pack

Having reduced the Indians to 167/7, the Kiwis would have been expecting a smooth passage to the finish line. Though Axar and Mishra made them earn every wicket by taking the match as deep as possible, they continued to hold the aces by not letting their guard down. While the bowlers kept probing away, the fielders sustained the pressure with a firm display.

Things did not appear as straightforward when Kulkarni and Yadav combined to frustrate them by taking the hosts close to the target. With the action seeping into the last couple of overs, New Zealand remained focused on the task at hand to emerge victorious by 19 runs and take the series to the decider at Vizag.