New Zealand vs India, 2020, 1st ODI - Who Said What

Post an awe-inspiring show in the T20I series, all eyes were on the Men in Blue to replicate their heroics against New Zealand in the ODI series too. However, the Kiwis poured cold water on India’s intentions of going 1-0 up in the three-match series.

After losing the toss and put to bat first, the new opening duo of Prithvi Shaw and Mayank Agarwal failed to propel India to a good start. Both the openers departed after stitching a 50-run opening stand.

The consistency of Virat Kohli was tested yet again where the Indian skipper stood out victorious. The 31-year-old steadied India’s ship in the middle by smashing a brilliant 51-run knock before getting dismissed off Ish Sodhi.

However, it was youngster Shreyas Iyer who ensured that the Kiwi bowling force does not plunge further misery on Indian batsmen. Iyer stitched a brilliant 103-run knock to keep the scoreboard ticking along with skipper Kohli. The Mumbai-born batsman weaved his innings around 11 fours and a six and stuck to the crease till the 46th over.

KL Rahul continues his stellar form

Furthermore, it was the brilliance of in-form KL Rahul which steered India to a massive total of 347 runs. Despite batting at No.5 position, Rahul proved his worth yet again by smashing an unbeaten knock of 88 runs off 64 deliveries. The Karnataka batsman’s explosive innings comprised 6 enthralling sixes. The 27-year-old extended his purple patch and proved why he has now emerged as an inseparable part of Team India.

Chasing a total of 348 was always going to be an uphill task for the hosts. The opening duo of Martin Guptill and Henry Nicholls flagged New Zealand off to a decent start by adding 85 runs for the opening wicket. Nicholls, who scored 78 off 82 deliveries, was steering New Zealand close to the target but a brilliant run out by Virat Kohli shattered the Kiwis’ hopes.

Ross Taylor rescues the Kiwi run chase

Just when everyone thought that the world would witness another Kiwi collapse, Ross Taylor stepped up on the occasion and smashed a ton to steer his side to a four-wicket victory. Taylor remained unbeaten on 109 and ensured that New Zealand start the ODI series on a positive note.

He was also assisted by Tom Latham‘s crucial 69-run cameo in the middle. Kuldeep Yadav was the pick of the Indian bowling force as he scalped two wickets despite being on the expensive side. After getting humiliated in the T20I series, Black Caps have retaliated by going 1-0 up in the series. India and New Zealand are further slated to clash in the second ODI at Eden Park on Saturday.

Ross Taylor, the Player of the Match said

It was nice to get across the line. Restricting them under 350 gave us a chance. We were fortunate with the left-right hand combination and we were able to target the short leg-side boundary. It’s been a happy hunting ground for me. It was nice to be there at the end after I got out thrice towards the end in the T20 series.

Virat Kohli, the Indian skipper said

 An oustanding performance from New Zealand. We thought 347 was good enough, especially after the start we got with the ball. I think Tom’s innings took the game away from us. We were decent in the field, we dropped one chance. We need to improve though. I got to say that the opposition played better than us today. Both new openers gave us a good start, hope they continue to do the same. Shreyas’s hundred was outstanding and KL was really good as well.

Tom Latham, the New Zealand skipper said

A great performance from the lads. We saw how hard it was to defend with the left-right combination. It’s nice to make winning contributions. The way Ross played was fantastic. We weren’t quite where we wanted to be with the ball. So we got to improve and hopefully we will play the perfect game at Eden Park.