On another day, India's indifferent batting performance in the middle-overs and insipid fielding and inconsistent bowling in the second half would've seen the team go down badly but not on Wednesday (January 29) when it fought back to clinch victory in a thrilling super-over contest over New Zealand.
The visitors, having recovered to post a competitive score of 179/5 on a dryish surface, didn't look like defending it at all with quite a few lapses and even their best bowler Jasprit Bumrah going for plenty before, thankfully, Mohammad Shami restricted the hosts in the final over to set-up a super-over contest where the class of Rohit Sharma shone through against Kiwis' most experienced pacer Tim Southee to get the 18 runs that were required.
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New Zealand failed to chase down the 180-run target despite India's rare off day with the ball and in the field and skipper Kane Williamson scoring an outstanding 48-ball 95.
"I thought we were gone at one stage. I told our coach that they probably deserved to finish the game off with the way Kane batted and the way he led from the front. We got a wicket at a crucial stage," winning captain Virat Kohli said at the post-match presentation ceremony.
"Shami again, showed his experience and put a couple of balls outside the off-stump. On the last ball, we had a discussion and we came to a conclusion that we had to hit the stumps because otherwise there is a single anyway and we are gonna lose the game. Shami went for it, got the wicket and the game turned on its head."
Rohit was brilliant even earlier on when he made a rocking 40-ball 65. "In the super over, New Zealand again put pressure on us. But Rohit was outstanding today, in the first half and in the super over," Kohli said. "We knew, if he gets one hit, the bowler will be under pressure because he is such a clean striker of the cricket ball. Overall a top day for us and a beautiful game to be a part of."
"In the super over, the discussion was that New Zealand will be feeling the pressure as they let the game slip away. Kane came out and played a couple of brilliant shots against Bumrah who is one of the best death-over bowlers in World Cricket. It was just a see-saw game"
On the back of this win, India won the five-match T20I series with still two games to spare and the skipper feels it's an ideal opportunity to try out individuals in the squad who haven't had the game time.
"We will try to win 5-0. There are a couple of guys who are sitting out like Sundar and Saini, they deserve to get a game. The idea is to win the remaining two games," Kohli concluded.
(Inputs from Cricbuzz)
