India could not have asked for a better start to the New Zealand tour.
India could not have asked for a better start to the New Zealand tour.
The Virat Kohli-led side triumphed easily by 8 wickets in the first ODI against the Kiwis with bowlers wreaking havoc in Napier. Things could only get better for the Men in Blue in the second ODI, with a struggling New Zealand batting lineup gearing to face off against the Indian spinning duo of Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav once again at Bay Oval, which is traditionally known to benefit the spinners.
Chahal and Kuldeep have been crucial to India’s plans with wickets across the globe in the past year. The two led India to a 5-1 ODI series win against South Africa. In the first ODI in Napier, Chahal struck at the crucial moment to dismiss Ross Taylor and Tom Latham while the chinaman took the crucial wicket of Kane Williamson before cleaning up the tail. Their ability to take wickets in tandem has benefited India immensely having swept R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja from the spot in the ODI side.
The Kiwis middle order appeared fragile against the two spinners, and India could go in for a kill by roping in Jadeja in place of allrounder Vijay Shankar, to boost their spin attack. The left-armer has showed form with both bat and ball since returning to the ODI squad at the Asia Cup last year, and his presence will not affect the batting line-up all that much.
With the suspension on Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul lifted, the former has been reinstated in India’s squad for the series. But it is likely that he would be available for the 3rd ODI onwards.
The shorter ground at Bay Oval will play to the liking of New Zealand openers Martin Guptill and Colin Munro, who are known for big hitting. For India, Kohli & Co. would also feel more confident with opening batsman Shikhar Dhawan brushing away rustiness to score an unbeaten 75 in the first ODI. Kohli admitted his return to form is a huge boost to the side, “Very important innings for Dhawan. We spoke about how he needed to finish games for India, to keep his confidence and if he’s in that mindset, he can be a great asset,” he said.
With Rohit Sharma being handed the captaincy armband for the final two ODIs and the T20I series, the ‘Hitman’ will also be eager to get runs on the board. His ability to strike out of the park could put Kiwis bowlers under pressure, especially with them entering the tournament following the emphatic loss. Kohli, who will be rested, will also be eager to get past the 40s and 50s and get a big total under his belt before heading home early.
Kiwis captain Kane Williamson admitted his side needs to be better against the World no. 1 side. The hosts were heavily dependent on their batting unit in the recently concluding limited-overs series against Sri Lanka, and will hope the batsmen can fire once more, against India’s strong bowling unit.
“Batsmen are looking to right a few wrongs, come out and set a good platform and obviously put a good target on the board and see what happens from there,” New Zealand seamer Trent Boult said.
The Kiwis might also look to make a change and rope in Colin de Grandhomme into the side to give themselves an additional allrounder option.
Squad (from):
India: Virat Kohli (captain), Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (wk), Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik, Vijay Shankar, Shubman Gill, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Siraj, Khaleel Ahmed, Ravindra Jadeja, Hardik Pandya.
New Zealand: Kane Williamson (captain), Ross Taylor, Tom Latham, Martin Guptill, Colin de Grandhomme, Trent Boult, Henry Nicholls, Doug Bracewell, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Colin Munro, Ish Sodhi, Micthell Santner, Tim Southee
The Virat Kohli-led side triumphed easily by 8 wickets in the first ODI against the Kiwis with bowlers wreaking havoc in Napier. Things could only get better for the Men in Blue in the second ODI, with a struggling New Zealand batting lineup gearing to face off against the Indian spinning duo of Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav once again at Bay Oval, which is traditionally known to benefit the spinners.
Chahal and Kuldeep have been crucial to India’s plans with wickets across the globe in the past year. The two led India to a 5-1 ODI series win against South Africa. In the first ODI in Napier, Chahal struck at the crucial moment to dismiss Ross Taylor and Tom Latham while the chinaman took the crucial wicket of Kane Williamson before cleaning up the tail. Their ability to take wickets in tandem has benefited India immensely having swept R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja from the spot in the ODI side.
The Kiwis middle order appeared fragile against the two spinners, and India could go in for a kill by roping in Jadeja in place of allrounder Vijay Shankar, to boost their spin attack. The left-armer has showed form with both bat and ball since returning to the ODI squad at the Asia Cup last year, and his presence will not affect the batting line-up all that much.
With the suspension on Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul lifted, the former has been reinstated in India’s squad for the series. But it is likely that he would be available for the 3rd ODI onwards.
The shorter ground at Bay Oval will play to the liking of New Zealand openers Martin Guptill and Colin Munro, who are known for big hitting. For India, Kohli & Co. would also feel more confident with opening batsman Shikhar Dhawan brushing away rustiness to score an unbeaten 75 in the first ODI. Kohli admitted his return to form is a huge boost to the side, “Very important innings for Dhawan. We spoke about how he needed to finish games for India, to keep his confidence and if he’s in that mindset, he can be a great asset,” he said.
With Rohit Sharma being handed the captaincy armband for the final two ODIs and the T20I series, the ‘Hitman’ will also be eager to get runs on the board. His ability to strike out of the park could put Kiwis bowlers under pressure, especially with them entering the tournament following the emphatic loss. Kohli, who will be rested, will also be eager to get past the 40s and 50s and get a big total under his belt before heading home early.
Kiwis captain Kane Williamson admitted his side needs to be better against the World no. 1 side. The hosts were heavily dependent on their batting unit in the recently concluding limited-overs series against Sri Lanka, and will hope the batsmen can fire once more, against India’s strong bowling unit.
“Batsmen are looking to right a few wrongs, come out and set a good platform and obviously put a good target on the board and see what happens from there,” New Zealand seamer Trent Boult said.
The Kiwis might also look to make a change and rope in Colin de Grandhomme into the side to give themselves an additional allrounder option.
Squad (from):
India: Virat Kohli (captain), Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (wk), Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik, Vijay Shankar, Shubman Gill, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Siraj, Khaleel Ahmed, Ravindra Jadeja, Hardik Pandya.
New Zealand: Kane Williamson (captain), Ross Taylor, Tom Latham, Martin Guptill, Colin de Grandhomme, Trent Boult, Henry Nicholls, Doug Bracewell, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Colin Munro, Ish Sodhi, Micthell Santner, Tim Southee