New Zealand gave India a close run for money while defending 300 runs in first ODI.
The hosts were challenged by a diminished Kiwi team, but India managed to huff and puff their way to victory. When Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer (49) were batting together, India was in cruise control while chasing 301.
However, after the former was dismissed in '93, India faced a cluster collapse, and KL Rahul ultimately made sure the team crossed the finish line with four wickets in hand and six balls remaining.
Earlier, thanks to half-centuries by Devon Conway, Henry Nicholls, and Daryl Mitchell, New Zealand had managed 300/8 in 50 overs.
New Zealand has some of its main players missing from the squad owing to injuries and prioritizing the T20 World Cup, which will be played in India and Sri Lanka from February 7 to March 8.
Seeing the Kiwis fight till the end, R. Ashwin stated that he is willing to pay, if necessary, in order to witness the Kiwi lineup up close. He often wonders how the Black Caps manage to make the best use of their resources.
“A lot of the top teams aren’t very analytically driven. New Zealand is a very analytically driven side. I hope to sit down with them and observe their planning; I am even willing to pay money for it if needed. The way they execute their plans, I would pay to sit in their team meetings to understand how they go about it,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel, ‘Ash Ki Baat.’
"We must give credit to New Zealand for the way they showed the stomach to fight in the game. They didn’t stop till the end, and that’s why they were able to come back into the game. I also posted a tweet that New Zealand doesn’t have a lot of strength in their squad, in terms of man-to-man. But because of their discipline, fielding, and how they execute their plans well, they are able to fight and compete with some of the top teams," he added.
Ashwin also said that India was not at their best in the first ODI, adding that the match was all about New Zealand punching above their weight and putting up an impressive performance.
“The most impressive was the New Zealand team. India didn’t play the best of cricket. There were pockets where Harshit Rana bowled really well and batted really well,” said Ashwin.
India has a 1-0 lead in the three-ODI series and will want to pocket the series when they face New Zealand in the second match in Rajkot on January 14.