'New Zealand dominated India' - Ajinkya Rahane dissects Men in Blue’s series loss

Former India captain Ajinkya Rahane has offered a detailed assessment of India’s shortcomings following their defeat in the third and final ODI against New Zealand, which sealed a historic 2-1 series victory for the visitors on Indian soil. The series decider was played on Sunday, January 18, in Indore.

Batting first, New Zealand posted 337/8, powered by centuries from Daryl Mitchell (137) and Glenn Phillips (106). In reply, India were bowled out for 296 despite a valiant 124 off 108 balls from Virat Kohli, losing the match by 41 runs. The result marked New Zealand’s first-ever ODI series triumph in India.

Rahane pointed out that New Zealand’s fielding played a decisive role in applying pressure on India’s batting unit.

“If you look at yesterday’s match specifically, yes they fielded well throughout the series, but in that match alone they saved around 15 to 20 runs. Glenn Phillips and the other fielders collectively saved those runs, and I felt that created pressure. That pressure eventually came onto the Indian team. When you field well as a team and as a unit, it puts pressure on the batting side,” Rahane said on his youtube channel.

Rahane also credited Kiwi's overall planning and simplicity of approach, stating that their execution stood out across the series.

“So full credit goes to the New Zealand team and their management. New Zealand always comes with good planning and thorough preparation. They are known for their strategy and planning, and most importantly, they like to keep things very simple. That is very important. I felt that New Zealand, in many ways, dominated the Indian team throughout this series,” he added.

Rahane opens up on Kohli's knock

While critical of India’s performance, Rahane was full of praise for Kohli’s composure in the series finale, particularly under pressure after early wickets.

“No matter how much we talk about Virat Kohli, it will never be enough. The kind of consistency he has shown, not just in this series but throughout his entire career, is remarkable. You can talk about it endlessly, and it still wouldn’t feel sufficient. India was under pressure yesterday, having lost four wickets early. In that situation, as an experienced player, it’s about taking the team out of a tough phase, and that’s something Virat has always done,” Rahane quoted.

He further highlighted Kohli’s situational awareness and strike rotation.

“What I really liked about his innings was his strike rotation. He never allowed the pressure to build. He took the game deep, which was exactly what needed at that point. One player had to bat deep, play till around the 40th or 45th over, and that’s exactly what Virat Kohli did. In between, he picked his boundaries smartly. He knew where his boundary options were, which bowler to take on, and against which bowlers he needed to take fewer risks and focus on rotating the strike through singles and doubles. I thought his game awareness really stood out,” he added.

Kohli finished the match with his 54th ODI century, ending the series as the leading run-scorer at no. 3 position in the ODI format. The veteran has scored 14,797 runs at a staggering average of 58.71 and a strike rate of 93.82 in 311 ODIs