India vs New Zealand: Global warning ahead of the World Cup
HYDERABAD: Before the series began, there were talks that facing the Kiwis in their own backyard will not be the same as taking on the Kangaroos in their own habitat. Three ODIs later, those voices have been muted. The hosts were outplayed in all departments, in all the games. Not only did the Indians win a series in a country where they don’t have a great record, they also sent a warning to other teams four months ahead of the World Cup.
After getting thrashed in the first two ODIs, Kane Williamson’s boys on Monday looked good for the first time in the series. A stand of 119 between Ross Taylor (93) and Tom Latham (51) for the fourth wicket kept them on course for a total to seriously challenge India’s batsmen. But the latter was dismissed by Yuzvendra Chahal in the 38th over to make it 178/4 and the ensuing collapse meant the visitors were chasing a modest 243.
It was not the first time in the recent past that the Indian attack made short work of the opposition’s batting. After doing well in Australia, at the smaller grounds of New Zealand India didn’t allow the hosts to cross 250 even once. And it was done with main bowler Jasprit Bumrah enjoying a rest.
“It all comes down to bench strength. This side can choose different playing XIs according to the conditions and still produce the same result. All the bowlers, from Mohammed Shami to the two wrist-spinners, performed brilliantly, “ said former pacer Lakshmipathy Balaji. “Bowling has been India’s USP in the last two years. These boys have travelled all over the world and bundled out opponents regularly.”
In 2018, New Zealand had won seven of their 10 home encounters. India reversed the trend by completely dominating the proceedings. Shami made a grand comeback in the coloured uniform to scalp 12 wickets in his last six ODIs (7 in this series). The 28-year-old was Man of the Match on Monday. He got the award in the first match too.
Arun Lal believes India has all kinds of weapons in bowling. “Excellent right-arm pacers to wrist-spinners, they have bases covered. It is only about execution and they have been doing that on a regular basis,” he said. “The fact that a quality all-rounder like (Ravindra) Jadeja is not getting to play says a lot about this team.”
While most credit goes to the bowlers, India’s middle-order has also shown improvement. Before going to Australia, a bulk of the runs in this format used to come from the top-three of Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli. Now, the bats of MS Dhoni, Ambati Rayudu, Kedar Jadhav and Dinesh Karthik are making right noises. While Dhoni stood out in Australia, others chipped in in New Zealand.
There can still be issues in the middle-order, although Lal believes they are not of grave concern. “India does have a problem there, but this might be relative. The fact that the top-three have been scoring so heavily dwarfs the contribution others make. No team is perfect. But the way these boys have been playing is just out of this world.”
Balaji is of the opinion that India dealt with their batting really well. “Batting had been an issue for India in New Zealand in the past. This time, the batsmen were impeccable. Overall, the team has the confidence to do well anywhere.”
Scoreboard
New Zealand: Guptill c Karthik b Bhuvneshwar 13, Munro c Rohit b Shami 7, Williamson c Pandya b Chahal 28, Taylor c Karthik b Shami 93, Latham c Rayudu b Chahal 51, Nicholls c Karthik b Pandya 6, Santner c Karthik b Pandya 3, Bracewell run out 15, Sodhi c Kohli b Shami 12, Boult c Shami b Bhuvneshwar 2, Ferguson 2 n.o. Extras (lb4, w7) 11. Total (49 ovs) 243.
FoW: 1-10, 2-26, 3-59, 4-178, 5-191, 6-198, 7-222, 8-239, 9-239.
Bowling: Bhuvneshwar 10-1-46-2, Shami 9-0-41-3, Chahal 9-0-51-2, Pandya 10-0-45-2, Kuldeep 8-0-39-0, Jadhav 3-0-17-0.
India: Rohit st Latham b Santner 62, Dhawan c Taylor b Boult 28, Kohli Nicholls b Boult 60, Rayudu 40 n.o, Karthik 38 n.o. Extras (b1, w16) 17. Total (3 wkts, 43 ovs) 245.
FoW: 1-39, 2-152, 3-168.
Bowling: Boult 10-1-40-2, Bracewell 6-0-49-0, Ferguson 10-1-57-0, Santner 10-0-45-1, Sodhi 7-0-53-0.
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