India vs New Zealand 2017, 2nd ODI: Hits and Misses

#5 Hit: The Karthik-Dhawan Partnership

When the target is around 230 and the batting side loses an early wicket, the chase always enters tricky territory. That’s exactly what happened with India in this game after Sharma was dismissed in the fifth over of the game. Kohli, too, could not capitalize on his steady start and fell for an average score of 29.

Number 4 has been a headache for the Indian team. They have tried and retired several batsmen in the position, but none of them have managed to stay there permanently. In Pune, Dinesh Karthik took a strong step towards making the spot his own.

He stepped up when India were at an unsafe score of 78-2 after 14 overs, and built a hefty 66-run partnership with the left-handed Shikhar Dhawan. His well-structured knock of 64 off 92 deliveries was conducive to India’s easy victory at the end of it all. The right-hander remained unbeaten through the innings.

Dhawan, who returned to the ODI setup after missing the Australia series last month, came into his own in this game. He scored 68 brilliant runs off just 84 balls and looked completely comfortable in the middle.