Indian cricket team's merciless run continues as they won the ODI series against New Zealand. Virat Kohli-led side is in fantabulous form. It is evident after defeating Kiwis in first three matches of the series.
Former India captain Sourav Ganguly is overjoyed by the outstanding performance by the Indian players in the ongoing ODI series. Ganguly lauded the Indian side and said the team has only got better in recent time. He rated India's performance against New Zealand on top, even better than Australia.
"It's been a better performance than Australia. It has been complete domination and it's good to see them dominate at home and away as well. The confidence has been great and it's quite impressive to see the bowlers get them out in 50 overs. It's been a great year for India in ODIs," Ganguly told IndiaTV.
Indian spin duo Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal were in highlighting form. They made New Zealand change their team plan which shows the dominance of Kuldeep and Chahal.
"Kulcha have strangled the New Zealand batsman and overall the team has been excellent. Especially Rohit and Kohli, who have been so consistent, you don't have such a top order in any other team in the world. India is ahead of other teams in ODI cricket. This might be one of the best World Cups we may witness."
In the third ODI, India won the game by seven wickets. They chased down the target of 244 inside 50 overs. For India, Virat Kohli scored 60 and Rohit Sharma added 62 in the chase.
"A team cannot defeat India if you're putting on targets such as 200 or 250, the Indian batsman has shown the ability to chase down bigger targets. Whenever there is pressure, batsman like Rohit, Virat, Kedar or Dhoni responds with a six. They've learned how to handle pressure."
India's middle order is still a headache for the team management. Ganguly believes Kedar Jadhav is a key player for India in the middle over.
"Kedar is a cricketer who can change the outcome of the match. He can handle pressure situations quite well as we saw against Australia. He's handy with the ball as well and takes wickets. You can play Dhoni at 4, Kedar at 5 and you also have a batsman in Shubman Gill, who should play in the remaining matches."
Hardik Pandya played the third ODI for India and his comeback game, the all-rounder showed why team India needs him badly for the World Cup 2019. Pandya completed the team. He picked up 2 wickets in the game."He (Pandya) showed great mental strength. With time, everything cools off and his approach to the match was also quite better. He adds to the strength of the team," said Ganguly.
Kohli won't be a part of Indian team for the last two ODIs and T20I series. Rohit Sharma will lead India in Virat's absence.
"He needs the rest. Virat plays all three formats and with his back giving trouble in between, it was a good decision to rest him, especially with Australia touring India, followed by the IPL and the World Cup," Ganguly concluded.
(With India TV Inputs)
