India bounced back strongly in the 2nd ODI against New Zealand to level the three-match series 1-1 after losing the opening clash at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai in the ongoing New Zealand’s tour of India 2017.
It was a must-win encounter for the hosts, and they played an exceptional brand of cricket to romp home by six wickets and with four overs to spare. It was a dominating all-around performance by the hosts, and they will look to seal yet another series when the two teams meet for the 3rd ODI at the Green Park in Kanpur.
In the 1st encounter, it was a brilliant partnership by Ross Taylor and Tom Latham which ensured New Zealand chased down the total of 280 with relative comfort. Skipper Virat Kohli’s exceptional innings of 121 off 124 deliveries went in vain, as the other Indian batsmen failed to convert their starts into big ones. It was a much-needed victory for the visitors, but with history at stake in the 2nd ODI, the hosts made a sensational comeback and will now look to seal the series on Sunday.
Team News
India
The hosts have a pretty settled unit in both batting and bowling departments. Barring a few middle-order concerns which are apparently being solved by Dinesh Karthik at the moment, the squad looks a formidable one. Mostly all the bowlers received some stick in the opening ODI which led to the ouster of Kuldeep Yadav, as Axar Patel who is more of a line and length bowler was preferred ahead of him, as the pitch wasn’t conducive to prodigious spin.
Rohit Sharma will look to get back to some form after missing out in the first two ODI’s while Shikhar Dhawan will look to continue his terrific touch. Dinesh Karthik who made a comeback in the Indian Playing XI has impressed since his return, as he remained unbeaten on 64 to help India chase the target down in the 2nd ODI.
The likes of Bhuvneshwar and Jasprit Bumrah has been exceptional, and after an off day in Mumbai they came back strongly and bowled terrific lines to unsettle the Kiwis batsmen. Kuldeep Yadav might be back for the decisive ODI after missing out the 2nd encounter.
Predicted XI: Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Dinesh Karthik, Kedar Jadhav, MS Dhoni, Hardik Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal
New Zealand
The openers Martin Guptill and Colin Munro on their days can take any bowling line-up apart, but they haven’t got going in the series yet. Both of them scored at a quick pace, but till now the Indian bowlers have been managed to keep them quiet. Captain Kane Williamson has failed to make his mark in the first two matches, but Ross Taylor and Tom Latham have been impressive.
Latham and Taylor played match-winning innings to help the Kiwis take a 1-0 lead. While the southpaw scored a brilliant century, Taylor got dismissed few runs short of a hundred. The bowling department has been impressive too, and Adam Milne was the standout bowler for the Kiwis in the previous encounter. With the team, the Black Caps have they will harbour chances of winning their first-ever series in India.
Predicted XI: Colin Munro, Martin Guptill, Kane Williamson, Ross Taylor, Tom Latham, Henry Nicholls, Colin de Grandhomme, Mitchell Santer, Adam Milne, Tim Southee, Trent Boult
Predictions
New Zealand played out of their skin in the opening ODI to secure a 1-0 lead, but the Men in Blue showed their mettle in the must-win encounter by brushing aside the visitors by six wickets. Given their dominant run in the recent past, India will be the clear favourites to seal the series in Kanpur.
