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An amazing performance by the bowlers along with a classy fifty by captain Rohit Sharma helped India to clinch the series 2-0 after a clinical eight-wicket win in the second ODI against New Zealand at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium in Raipur, on Saturday.
Fast bowler Mohammed Shami produced an impressive performance with the ball to take 3/18 and led the Indian bowling attack to bundle out the Kiwis at a below-par score of 108 in 34.3 overs.
In reply, Rohit continued his new aggressive approach and smashed 51 off 50 balls before getting dismissed while his opening partner Shubman Gill remained unbeaten on 40 off 53 balls to help India chase down the total in just 20.1 overs to win the second ODI by eight wickets.
With this victory, India took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series with the last ODI to be played in Indore, on Tuesday. It was also India’s seventh consecutive bilateral ODI series win at home.
Bowlers inspire India’s ODI series win against New Zealand in Raipur 💪#INDvNZ | 📝 Scorecard: https://t.co/laPYXU43A1 pic.twitter.com/rmIYa6r0NM
— ICC (@ICC) January 21, 2023
On a pitch with some grass cover, Shami and Mohammed Siraj found seam movement to run through the New Zealand top and middle order, reducing them to 15/5 in just 10.3 overs.
Despite Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell and Mitchell Santner getting off to a start, they were unable to convert it into big scores and get their side out of trouble due to the constant pressure maintained by Indian bowlers Hardik Pandya, Shardul Thakur, Washington Sundar and Kuldeep Yadav.
Rohit’s decision to bowl first after getting brain-fade for a moment brought reward immediately on the fifth ball of the first over as Shami with his terrific seam position got one to nip back in which went Finn Allen’s flick to crash into the stumps. In the next five overs, Shami and Siraj were accurate with their line and length to make life difficult for the Kiwi batters.
The pressure eventually caused Henry Nicholls to edge one to Gill at first slip off Siraj in the sixth over. Four balls later, Daryl Mitchell chipped the ball back to get caught and bowled by Shami, who took a one-handed stunning return catch.
Devon Conway scored the first boundary for New Zealand with a crisp drive in the gap between cover and point before getting dismissed caught and bowled as Hardik took a stunning one-handed low catch by his left hand in his follow-through in the ninth over.
In the 11th over, captain Tom Latham poked at a seaming away delivery from Thakur without any foot movement, giving a straightforward catch to first slip, leaving New Zealand at 15/5. However, Phillips and Bracewell showed some fight and struck six delightful boundaries, especially with the latter scoring three fours off Shami.
But Shami had the last laugh, as he bounced out Bracewell caught behind by the keeper in the 19th over. On the other hand, Santner was riding his luck as he first got dropped by Rohit at short mid-wicket in the 20th over and then by Kuldeep off his own bowling, four overs later.
As the ball got older, Phillips was quick to drive and pull off Thakur while Santner pulled and lofted Kuldeep with ease. The 47-run partnership for the seventh between both of them was ended on the first ball of the 31st over with a slower delivery from Hardik which took an inside edge of Santner’s bat and crashed into the stumps.
In the next over off Washington, Phillips was dismissed as he pulled one straight to deep mid-wicket. He and Kuldeep took out Lockie Ferguson and Blair Tickner in successive overs to wrap New Zealand’s innings in 34.2 overs.
In defence of a low total, New Zealand bowlers, barring Ferguson, were unable to extract the same amount of movement with the new ball from the pitch that the Indian bowlers did in the first powerplay. That allowed Rohit and Gill to get off to a start with ease.
While Rohit pulled and slashed off Henry Shipley’s short balls with ease, Gill started off with an uppish square drive over backward point off the same bowler to score three boundaries of the first four overs.
Rohit hit the first six of the match when he hooked a ball off Ferguson by using his pace over fine leg with immaculate ease. When he overpitched, Gill on the other hand was quick to lean into the drive to score a four through covers.
Rohit also swept and reverse swept Santner to reach his fifty off 47 balls. However, he was trapped lbw when a delivery from Shipley kept low to him on the knee roll in front of the off stump.
Virat Kohli was looking in total control after hitting a lovely straight drive with the full face of the bat for four off Shipley, following a fierce pull shot through backward square leg to make it two fours in the 17th over.
Gill welcomed Bracewell with a pull and sweep over mid-wicket for two boundaries in the 18th over to take India closer to victory. Though Kohli was stumped off Santner for 11 on the first ball of the 19th over, Ishan Kishan hit two boundaries off spinners before Gill scored the winning runs by dancing down the pitch and lofting over mid-on off Santner to seal a dominating eight-wicket win for India.
For India, Rohit scored a brilliant 51 off 50 balls, hitting seven fours and two sixes, while Gill continued his great form to remain unbeaten on 40 off 53 balls with six fours.
Mohammed Shami was awarded Player of the Match for his brilliant figures of 3/18 from his six overs which also included one maiden.
Brief Scores: New Zealand 108 all out in 34.3 overs (Glenn Phillips 36, Mitchell Santner 27; Mohammed Shami 3/18, Washington Sundar 2/7) lost to India 111/2 in 20.1 overs (Rohit Sharma 51, Shubman Gill 40 not out; Mitchell Santner 1/28, Henry Shipley 1/29) by eight wickets.
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