India v New Zealand, 3rd ODI - 5 Talking Points

They might have ran each other out many times, but when the captain and vice-captain of the Indian cricket team get into their groove, the only men who will try to run are the opposition bowlers. Not so great for Trent Boult and his compatriots, but the thousands of spectators present today (October 29) at the Green Park Stadium in Kanpur loved the way Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma annihilated Kane Williamson’s bowlers.

Owing to their superb hundreds and then short little cameos from MS Dhoni and Kedar Jadhav, India reached a total of 337. But if there is one team that will look into the eyes of the Indian bowlers and give them a clear message that they are not going to back down, it is New Zealand. The Black Caps tried their very best, but unfortunately for them, their best was 6 runs short of the target. Let us now have a look at the 5 talking points from the game:

1. The humongous Sharma-Kohli partnership

When Virat Kohli is on the crease, how often do we pay more attention to the non-striker? Well, it was such a day today, when Kohli was sidelined as Rohit grabbed the limelight, as he often does when the ball comes out off the middle of his bat. Two elegant batters and both in good form- this is something the Kiwi bowlers would not want to dream of even in their worse nightmares.

Unfortunately, it was such a bad day for them today, as the Indian skipper scored 113 runs and his deputy played a knock worth 147. The highest second-wicket stand at the Green Park saw the batters change gears swiftly and reversing roles whenever the other man was in trouble. Though there was some trouble regarding running between the wickets, Williamson’s fielders weren’t smooth enough to capitalize on it.

2. New Zealand’s tight death bowling

When Sehwag’s “Sharma ka launda” was dismissed, India were in the driver’s seat with just a run away from the 260-run mark and around 9 overs yet to be played. Boasting of some of the best finishers in the circuit like Dhoni, Pandya and Jadhav yet to come, one would not think twice before predicting a 350-plus score.

But this is where the Kiwi bowlers pulled things back. They didn’t leak runs cheaply and didn’t give any batter the time to settle either. The end result was that the likes of Pandya were kept significantly quiet and all India could accumulate was a total of 337.

3. Jadhav and Dhoni’s cameos

When the two settled batters were dismissed, Pandya couldn’t do anything while Dhoni looked good. At one point they seemed to be set for a 350ish total. Dhoni after playing a few really good shots struggled when the ball was bowled slower as it didn’t allow him to get under it and thrash. But none the less he scored 25 off 17 with three boundaries

For the umpteenth time, Kedar was the man to rise to the occasion. His audition for the number 4 role was over and he failed in it. Hence, he was demoted to his job as a finisher the scorecard might show he scored just 18 runs, but those 18 runs came off just 10 deliveries and was comprised of a boundary and a big hit, which took India to 337.

4. Munro-Williamson returns the favour

When the team is chasing such a big total, the first thing on their to-do list should be getting off to a flier. And when one of your most experienced campaigners is dismissed inside the first 6 overs, it becomes a lot difficult. But after losing Martin Guptill cheap, Kane Williamson and Colin Munro got into the act and rolled out a stunning reply.

They made it clear statement that the win wouldn’t come easy for India; at least not without a real fight. While the naturally more aggressive player Munro called for the shots, Williamson played a sensible knock to lay a strong foundation. They scored 75 and 64 respectively. Kohli was scratching his head as the duo gave the innings what exactly it needed- a platform for the next batters to come and thrive.

5. Match-winning last 4 overs

Though things were tough for New Zealand after Williamson’s dismissal, the ever so dependable Ross Taylor-Tom Latham’s partnership kept things going for them. After the former’s dismissal, Henry Nicholls accelerated the Black Caps’ innings to make sure that the game stays well within their grasp. But before any Indian cricketer out on the field could get a hint, the Kiwis were notoriously close to what would have been one of the greatest away series wins by Williamson’s army, with just 35 needed from the last 4 overs.

But that possibility was ruled out by Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who bowled 4 exceptionally cheap last 4 overs to register another series victory for India. While the former was cheaper, the latter did a superb job to dismiss Henry Nicholls, with an unplayable delivery. Eventually they concluded the game 6 runs short of the Indian total as Bumrah bowled a brilliant last over and sealed the series for the team.