New Zealand vs India, 2020, 2nd ODI – Who Said What

After a dismal show in T20I series, the Kiwis finally retaliated and bounced back stronger to clinch the three-match series 2-0 on the back of some impressive individual performances.

Chasing a competitive total of 273 runs, India’s opening woes continued as Prithvi Shaw and Mayank Agarwal were unsuccessful to provide a robust start. All eyes were on Virat Kohli to exhibit another match-winning performance. However, after the departure of the Indian skipper at a meagre score of 15, it was Shreyas Iyer who stabilized the run-chase. Iyer– the man touted to have resolved India’s No.4 conundrum– scored 52 runs off 57 deliveries including seven fours and a six.

Navdeep Saini turned heads with his quick-fire cameo

India’s adversity continued after the departure of Iyer but Ravindra Jadeja notched up to the occasion to smash a brilliant half-century– elevating hopes of many fans who were anticipating the Men in Blue to salvage World Cup 2019 defeat. However, no other player apart from Navdeep Saini (45) managed to stick at the crease with Jadeja.

Saini’s quick-fire 45-run knock was crucial in keeping the scoreboard ticking. After Saini’s dismissal off a Kyle Jamieson delivery, Ravindra Jadeja– the solitary warrior for India– struggled to amass runs on the board and eventually was dismissed by Neesham in the penultimate over as New Zealand clinched the victory by 22 runs. Speedster Kyle Jamieson was adjudged Man of the Match for his economical spell of 2/42.

Ross Taylor emerged as New Zealand’s talisman

After a formidable performance by the Kiwi top-order, New Zealand suffered a collapse as no other batsman apart from Ross Taylor was able to stick in the middle for a prolonged period. Taylor, continuing his sublime form from the previous match, stitched 73 runs to propel New Zealand to a total of 273/8.

A 93-run opening stand between Guptill and Nicholls laid the foundation for the hosts, paving the way for Taylor to sail New Zealand’s ship with his unbeaten knock. Taylor’s unbeaten knock was assisted by a brilliant 25-run cameo by Kyle Jamieson in the death overs.

Yuzvendra Chahal emerged as the pick of Indian bowling force after the wrist-spinner scalped three wickets in his spell. Shardul Thakur also picked two wickets to halt New Zealand’s run flow.

Kyle Jamieson, the Player of the Match said

On a high at the moment, need time to sink it in; the game ebbed and flowed all along. Pretty simple, take it to the 50 overs (about his batting stint with Ross Taylor), a total of around 230-240, we would have been happy, just wanted to stay there and stick with Ross, be there till the end. A surreal moment to get a wicket in the first over, it was more relief than anything else, happy that I didn’t go for too many. International cricket is high intensity with a big crowd watching along.

Virat Kohli, the Indian skipper said

Two good games, great for the fans. Impressed with how we finished. We let things slip away from 208-6 to 270+. We were in trouble wth the bat, but Saini and Jadeja and Shreyas played really well. ODIs aren’t too relevant this year, but the people who can play that way under pressure is a big revelation for us. We could consider changes in the final game since we have nothing to lose now. We’ll play expressive cricket and not worry too much about the result. It’s upto the individuals to fight. We didn’t send them any messages, because those aren’t what your instincts are telling you to do. We didn’t know how Saini could be with the bat, so if the lower order could be that good, then it inspires the middle order and the top order to step it up too.

Tom Latham, the New Zealand skipper said

It’s a great victory. The last game, batters won the game and today the bowlers did the job for us. It’s always a funny wicket, if you pick up early scalps, you are always in the game. That partnership for us towards the back-end was a vital one. I was never satisfied until the last wicket was taken. It was about juggling the bowlers around. They kept coming back and Kyle on debut was fantastic today. It will be great to win 3-0, fingers crossed!