India had to face the defeat in the first ODI in Hamilton though the Men in Blue set a fighting target of 348. Virat Kohli’s fifty, Shreyas Iyer’s hundred, KL Rahul’s unbeaten 88- run knock and Kedar Jadhav cameo led the team to set a mammoth target for the Kiwis. However, the hosts successfully chased down the target with four wickets in hand. After the failure in the first game, the youngster Shreyas Iyer opined that the team is confident to bounce back in the second game in Auckland.
Shreyas Iyer positive on India’s win in the second ODI:
Asked to bat first, debutant Prithvi Shaw and Mayank Agarwal made an entry on the field. But the youngster Iyer played according to the situation. He went on to score his first maiden ODI ton in Hamilton. However, Iyer’s hundred could not help the Men in Blue in registering yet another victory.
In the post-match conference, Iyer opined that the team will take positives from the first game and will surely make a strong comeback in the impending match.
We have got that confidence in our team and in ourselves that we are going to bounce back strong and we have done in the past. We just have to take positives from this game and move forward. They batted really well and credit goes to them. To chase a target of 348 is not easy. It was a very good win for them.” Iyer said.
Shreyas Iyer praises KL Rahul’s innings:
In Hamilton, Rahul was given the duty to play the role of a finisher. The wicketkeeper-batsman scored 88* runs, striking three fours and six maximums. In the recent past, Rahul has been given different position and he has successfully delivered with the willow.
Praising Rahul’s performance, Iyer said that there is a lot to learn from Rahul’s batting.
“KL Rahul has been batting magnificently well. He has been in tremendous touch and there is a lot to learn from him as a batsman, the way he plans his innings and takes on the bowlers,” he added further.
Meanwhile, India and New Zealand will head to play the second ODI on 8th of February in Auckland.