to coach Rahul Dravid and captain Rohit Sharma, a series win against an old nemesis couldn’t have started better than helping them strike the right chord at the start of their partnership.
Their excellent top-order and controlled bowling performance at the back-end ensured a five-wicket win against the Black Caps, ending the ‘Men in Blue’ losing streak in the seven-match format.
As for Rohit, before he gets the much-needed two-and-a-half-week break from the game, he wants to close the deal in Ranchi and go for the juggernaut when the team meets for the final match of the series in Kolkata.
in absentia Virat Kohli, currently on vacation, Suryakumar Yadav Took full advantage of the opportunity at number three and won the match by 62 runs in 42 balls.
While there is absolutely no need to press the panic button, Shreyas Iyer And Rishabh PantKi’s sharp batting made the chase a little fuzzy, though it never got out of control.
Shreyas, playing for India after a long break, was in turmoil as he was finding it difficult to get the ball in the middle. Even when the big shots weren’t coming, he didn’t seem eager to cultivate the strike with a single and a two.
Shreyas scored 5 runs in 8 balls before Tim Southee was dismissed in the final over, but India’s healthy run-rate did not go through his hand.
However the silver-lining was definitely Suryakumar, whose precise hit delighted the capacity crowd at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium.
The other big positive came from senior bowlers Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Ravichandran Ashwin, who were brilliant in hitting the right areas, while some inexperienced bowlers plundered runs at the other end.
With his concern about his form, the new management led by Rohit and Rahul dropped veteran seamer Bhuvneshwar due to his indifferent form in their defeat against Pakistan in the T20 World Cup.
By his standards, Bhuvneshwar was going through the toughest phase of his career and returned with just three wickets in six matches for Sunrisers Hyderabad at an average of 54 and an economy rate of 7.04.
But the 31-year-old delivered in style and took advantage of the swing on offer at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium and cleaned up Daryl Mitchell with a perfect inswinger to return with 2/24 to finish second behind Ashwin’s 2/23. Was.
India were also brilliant at the death and conceded just 41 runs for three wickets, leaving the visiting team with a good score of 15-20 runs.
“At one point in time, it looked like over 180, so a great effort from a perfect bowling performance. A good game for us, especially when we’re missing some players, it’s my performance for other guys.” There was an opportunity to show potential,” Sharma said.
The lower middle order could also become a cause for concern for the captain as it remains to be seen whether he is tempted to change his batting order.
With his players already committed to giving a long rope, it is unlikely that Rohit will upset the batting order after a game.
In the bowling though, there could be a forced change as Indian pacer Mohammad Siraj has suffered split left webbing after being hit by Mitchell Santner in the final over of New Zealand’s innings.
With dew becoming a factor for the evening, the toss could also play a vital role in an essential match for the touring Black Caps.
If losing the toss under Tim Southee’s leadership was important to the visitors, the Kiwis would be a bright spot for the team after the return of Mark Chapman (63 from 50 balls) for seven months.
Southee will be looking to improve the bowling line-up which will be particularly keen on restricting the flow of runs in the powerplays.
Teams (from):
India: Rohit Sharma (Captain), KL Rahul, Ruturaj Gaikwadi, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Ishan Kishan, Venkatesh Iyer, Yuzvendra Chahal, R Ashwin, Axar Patel, Avesh Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Deepak Chahar, Harshal Patel and Mohammad Siraj
New Zealand: Tim Southee (Captain), Todd Astle, Trent Boult, Mark Chapman, Lockie Ferguson, Martin Guptill, Adam Milne, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Tim Seifert and Ish Sodhi
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