New Zealand vs India, 2019: Combined ODI XI

Beating New Zealand in their own den is one of the toughest tasks for any touring side. But, the current Indian team is playing such dominant cricket that the Blackcaps had no answers to the assault. The hosts were thumped all ends up by a margin of 4-1 in the five-match series as the ‘Men in Blue’ clinched the series trophy with all authority.

This is the first-ever instance when India won four matches in an ODI series in New Zealand. There were some great performances on display from players of both the teams in this series. However, it was the Indian players who performed better collectively than the New Zealand team and the results were quite evident.

Here is the combined XI from both the teams after the ODI series:

1. Shikhar Dhawan

Don’t go by his performance in the last two ODIs of the series. It isn’t easy to counter such swinging conditions even for the best batsmen in the world. In the first three ODIs (first two in particular), Shikhar Dhawan showed how dangerous a player he can be. He was comfortable driving the ball, he timed it well and got big scores.

Remember, he didn’t have the best of series against Australia and doing well in New Zealand conditions is never easy. His scores in the first three games are 75*, 66 and 28 and was hitting the ball extremely well. The left-hander finished as the second highest run-scorer in the series with 187 runs at an average of 47.

2. Tom Latham (wk)

It is essential to pick a wicketkeeper in the eleven. Tom Latham, MS Dhoni and Dinesh Karthik were the three options available for the slot. Dhoni might have made it into this eleven had he not injured himself. Even though he was brilliant behind the stumps, he only batted in two innings and scored 49 runs at an average of 49.

Thus, Tom Latham, who got a lot more runs under his belt was picked in this eleven. Latham will open the innings along with Dhawan and complement his style of batting as well. The New Zealander scored 133 runs in four innings at an average of 33.25 and did a decent job behind the stumps.

3. Virat Kohli (C)

For Virat Kohli’s standards, this series was definitely not his best. He got out twice in the forties in the first two ODIs which is a rarity. But, he did well in the third game of the series with a match-winning 60. It was surprising to see him not convert even a single start into a century something he does with unbelievable consistency otherwise.

The Indian skipper was spot on with his leadership and the team won all the three games under him. Hence, despite playing only the initial three games he will also lead this combined XI. Virat scored 148 runs in three innings at an average of just over 49.

4. Kane Williamson

The New Zealand skipper also failed to meet the expectations in the series. He was nowhere near his best and struggled on a majority of the occasions. Even though he was there amongst the top five run scorers, Kane was hardly as fluent as he usually is. A lot of focus was on the Kiwi skipper and the Indian bowlers managed to keep him under check.

A majority of the runs he scored came in the first ODI when he got 64 runs. In the next three games, he perished failing to convert the starts. He looked good in the last game of the series with a 39 before Kedar Jadhav got the better of him. Williamson scored 162 runs in the series at an average of 32.40.

5. Ambati Rayudu

Rayudu did not have a good series against Australia and there were questions that were raised against about the number four spot. MS Dhoni was tried at this position for one of the games and speculation was rife. But, the team management held enough trust in him and gave the right-hander chances in all the five ODIs against New Zealand.

He got good scores in the first three games but couldn’t make it big. Rayudu was out for a duck in the fourth ODI where all the Indian batsmen failed. The 33-year-old came to his own in the last game under immense pressure. He scored 90 runs in the game and finished as the leading run-scorer in the series. He piled up a total of 190 runs in 5 innings at an average over 63.

6. Ross Taylor

Ross Taylor has had a dream run in 50-overs cricket since the end of World Cup 2015. He scored runs everywhere against all sorts of oppositions. But, he failed to maintain the same consistency in this series against India. The strength in the Indian bowling attack once again managed to surpass a certain performer in the opposition.

The 34-year-old got 93 and 37 runs in just two innings which aggregates to 130. In the remaining three innings, he only managed to get 47 runs which was slightly disappointing. Yet, he was amongst the best performers with the bat in the series and finished third on the list with 177 runs at 44.25.

7. Hardik Pandya

Hardik Pandya showed a great intent after his comeback from a real low in his professional career. The all-rounder was great in all the three departments of the game and pretty much sealed his spot. He made a comeback into the side in the third ODI but didn’t get a chance to bat.

Pandya walked out to bat when the side was in immense trouble in the fourth ODI. He smashed four boundaries in the match as he scored 16 off 20 runs in that game. The 25-year-old played the finisher in the last ODI thumping 45 off 22 balls which included a hat-trick of sixes. He was clinical with the ball as well picking up four wickets in three games.

8. Trent Boult

Trent Boult wasn’t at his best in the initial three games of the series. Those matches were played on batting wickets and the ball didn’t do much and thus Boult could just manage to pick three wickets. But when the conditions were on his side in the final two games, he was just unstoppable and unplayable.

The left-arm pacer bowled an unbelievable spell in the fourth ODI. His five-wicket haul helped the Kiwis bowl the famed Indian batting line-up for a paltry 92 runs. He was again effective in the fifth ODI claiming three wickets in his first spell. Overall, he was the leading wicket-taker in the series with 12 scalps.

9. Kuldeep Yadav

With his brilliant chinaman bowling, Kuldeep Yadav pushed the Kiwis out of their comfort zone. The New Zealand batsmen found it extremely hard to pick his variations and struggled in the first two ODIs. He picked up four-wicket hauls in both these games and played a crucial part in the wins.

However, the batsmen played him with extreme caution in the third ODI of the series and he went wicketless. Kuldeep went wicketless in the fourth ODI as well when the opposition opted for a counter-attack against him. He was rested for the last game and finished with eight wickets in the series.

10. Mohammed Shami

The ‘Man of the Series’ was truly unbelievable with his performance on this tour. He was given an opportunity in absence of Jasprit Bumrah as the team tried to figure the third seam-bowling option. Mohammed Shami excelled with the new ball and also hit the right areas under pressure situations. He often picked up the wickets of key players in the opposition and bowled tight lengths.

He picked up 3, 1, 3 wickets in the first three ODIs respectively. Then, after being rested for the fourth ODI, he came back strong and picked another two wickets in the final game. In just the 29 overs that he bowled in the series, he picked up 9 wickets at an average of 15.33. Shami has now to a large extent made sure he will not miss out from the XI even when the team decides to play just two pacers.

11. Yuzvendra Chahal

Yuzvendra Chahal was Kuldeep Yadav’s partner-in-crime as usual. If one built pressure, the other went for the kill. It was a win-win situation for both of them as well as the Indian team that arguably has discovered the most lethal attack for the middle overs. The Blackcaps found it extremely hard to pick him and Chahal was clever with his variations.

He also picked up 9 wickets in the series just like Shami, but in five games. His economy rate of 5.34 was also great and picked up wickets whenever his captain asked for one. Chahal is expected to play a very important part for the Men in Blue in the upcoming World Cup.

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