Sundar was visibly struggling to run between the wickets.
The wicketkeeper-batter stayed till the end to take the hosts over the line, but the challenge he encountered went beyond the numbers on the scoreboard.
Washington Sundar, who picked up a back issue during his bowling spell, was visibly struggling to run between the wickets in the last moments of the chase.
Rahul opened up on the difficulty of managing the innings under these circumstances after the match.
“I didn’t know he (Washington) couldn’t run. I knew he had a bit of an injury in the first innings, but I wasn’t aware of the extent,” Rahul told broadcasters.
“That said, he was striking the ball really well. When he came in, we were already going at about a run-a-ball, so there was no need to take unnecessary risks. There wasn’t too much pressure on him. He rotated the strike, and did his job,” he added.
Rahul also stressed the importance of early partnerships and understanding the pitch conditions.
“I thought it (pitch) played pretty much the same throughout the 100 overs. The new ball was the best time to bat on this wicket. The way Rohit started with Shubman, and then the partnership between Shubman and Virat, set the tone perfectly. They scored quickly and found the right tempo,” Rahul stated.
“If we’d gone at 4-5 an over early on, the chase later could’ve been 7-8 an over, which is always tough. The wicket did get a bit slower later, but the top-order did their job and made it much easier for the lower-order batters,” he remarked.
Rahul commended the Kiwi bowlers for fighting till the end as taking the game close. “They never give up, and they always find a way to stay in the contest. That’s what makes India–New Zealand such an exciting rivalry,” he concluded.
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).