India defeated New Zealand by five wickets in the first of the five-match ODI series at Eden Park in Auckland. The rain affected the play heavily in the second innings, but that didn’t spoil India’s dominant show with both ball and bat, as they secured a comfortable win in the end.
It was once again with the bat and based on his 74-run knock, India got the job done with 56 balls remaining, despite DLS method coming to the equation.
After opting to bowl first, the Indian pacers produced a ruthless show in the middle, as the hosts lost wickets at regular intervals. Opener Tim Seifert managed to keep the scoreboard ticking for a while, but the keeper-batter eventually departed for 38 runs after Gurnoor Brar got the better of him in the middle. However, he finished as New Zealand’s leading run-scorer tonight.
After he departed, Daryl Mitchell and Glenn Phillips managed to turn the momentum in New Zealand’s favour for a while, but the Indian pacers were too hot to handle. Arshdeep Singh and Anshul Kamboj were phenomenal with their line and length as Kiwi batters were struggling heavily. Kamboj, in the meantime, conceded just 22 runs in his 10 overs and also claimed two wickets. With that, he joined Jasprit Bumrah on the list of the most economical spells by an Indian in ODI cricket in the last 10 years.
Arshdeep, on the other hand, picked four, while Gurnoor claimed two. At one point, New Zealand seemed to be scoring around 160, but a late show for Blair Tickner, helped them post 185 runs in the middle. The number 11 batter hit four sixes, scoring 34 runs off 23 balls, which was commendable, to say the least.
Kohli-Gill show in second innings
Senior cricketer Rohit Sharma failed to open his tally in the opening ODI. He departed for a six-ball duck and after which, Kohli and captain Shubman Gill rose to the occasion. The pair stitched a 113-run partnership that took New Zealand out of the competition.
Kohli was particularly driving the partnership, scoring a 35-ball half-century. Gill, in the meantime, scored 37 runs. Meanwhile, soon after Kohli departed, India lost another one in Axar Patel. Shreyas Iyer too failed to deliver, as he made 15 which delayed India’s win. Naman Dhir and KL Rahul in the end guided the victory.