New Zealand outclassed India across departments to register a series-levelling seven-wicket victory in the second ODI at Niranjan Shah Stadium, Rajkot on Wednesday (January 14).
The Indian bowlers failed to defend 285 as the Kiwis rode on Daryl Mitchell’s unbeaten 131 and Will Young’s 87 to overhaul the target with 15 deliveries to spare.
The ease at which the Black Caps managed to pull off the win came as a surprise to legendary India batter Sunil Gavaskar.
“I was surprised by how easily New Zealand got across the line because, before they started batting, everyone thought India would be able to make use of the slowness of the pitch,” Gavaskar said on JioStar.
“With their bowlers, not just the spinners, but all of them, using the slowness of the surface well, it felt like India would be able to restrict New Zealand to around 260 or 270. I thought that would have been an easy win for India. But full credit to New Zealand, particularly the partnership between Will Young and Daryl Mitchell. That 150-plus stand just took the game away. I think they showed how a near-300 run total can be chased down, by taking your time to settle in and then backing your stroke-making ability and running between the wickets. Daryl Mitchell deserves huge credit, not just for the batting, but even after getting to his hundred, the way he kept running hard, putting pressure on the fielders, and constantly taking two’s. That shows both fitness and commitment to the team,” he added.
India made a winning start to the series, beating New Zealand by four wickets in Vadodara. The outcome in Rajkot has now set up a series-decider in Indore on Sunday (January 18).
Gavaskar reckons the Men in Blue will be under pressure after the defeat in Rajkot. “India will certainly feel the pressure going into the third ODI because, had they won this game, they would have had the freedom to experiment a little, perhaps giving opportunities to those who haven’t played so far. Someone like Yashasvi Jaiswal could have gotten a bit of a run as well. All of that might have been possible. But now they can’t take any chances. They have to play their best eleven again,” he remarked.
