Arshdeep was excellent in the preceding ODI series against South Africa.
Arshdeep was excellent in the preceding three-ODI series against South Africa, claiming at least one wicket in each game for a total of five scalps at an average of 30.80. Hence, his snub drew backlash on social media.
Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin also questioned the left-arm pacer’s absence from the playing XI, citing that ‘the lack of continuity can impact rhythm and hence performance’.
However, the decision didn’t hurt India as Siraj and two other pacers, Harshit Rana and Prasidh Krishna, returned with two wickets each to restrict the Kiwis to 300/8, which the hosts chased down in 49 overs.
“[It was] more about rotation, Arshdeep did well in the last series and Siraj wasn’t part of that, so we want to keep giving everyone opportunities as we build towards the World Cup, especially with not too many ODIs coming up," Gill said in the post-match presentation ceremony.
Chasing the target, the Men in Blue lost Rohit Sharma for 26 runs but Virat Kohli added 118 runs for the second wicket with skipper Shubman Gill to put India in the driver’s seat.
While Gill fell after scoring 56 off 71 balls, Kohli nearly went on to hit his 54th ODI century en route to his 77-run partnership with Shreyas Iyer (49 off 47).
Kohli was dismissed on 93 by Kyle Jamieson in the 40th over. His 91-ball knock was studded with 8 fours and 1 six. During the innings, he also scaled 28,000 runs across all formats and became the second-highest run-getter in international cricket, surpassing Sri Lankan legend Kumar Sangakkara.
After Kohli and Iyer’s dismissals in quick succession, KL Rahul (29* off 21) and Harshit (29 off 23) chipped in with handy contributions to take the team home.
“Definitely, it felt really good to contribute to a chase. The most important thing is staying in the present. As a sportsperson, you have to focus on what’s in front of you and what the situation demands at that moment – that’s what helps you handle both the highs and the disappointments, that’s what I try to do. The way he’s (Kohli) striking the ball at the moment makes things look so easy, even on a surface like this where it wasn’t easy to start, he made it look easy," Gill remarked.
With this victory, India took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. The second ODI will be played in Rajkot on Wednesday (January 14).