New Zealand outclassed India in the 4th ODI at Ranchi to level the series 2-2 at the JSCA International stadium on Wednesday. The Kiwis batted first and put up a score of 260 on the board. India struggled from the beginning of the chase and loss of wickets at regular intervals led to the team’s downfall. Even India’s talisman Virat Kohli who has been nothing less than outstanding throughout the whole series could save the match for the men in blue.
India made a few changes in the batting order which did not click for the home team. Captain MS Dhoni came out to bat at number 4 just after Virat Kohli was dismissed but failed to put a partnership together. This change in the batting order, however, was not appreciated by former Indian opener Sunil Gavaskar.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3677DNe4jU
Gavaskar also feels the promotion of Axar Patel, a bowling all-rounder up the order was not the right decision in that particular situation. Instead, Manish Pandey and Kedar Jadhav should have batted in their natural positions according to the legend.
Gavaskar quoted “When Dhoni has to bat at No. 4 and there is no faith in No. 5 and 6, then India need to worry considerably. You can’t depend on Virat Kohli bailing you out every time. It looks like if Virat fails the others are not being able to handle the pressure”
“Virat Kohli can’t always win you a match,” Gavaskar told NDTV.
Gavaskar also pointed out the loopholes in India’s bowling attack which failed strike in the early parts of the game. The bowlers were clearly not up to the mark according to Gavaskar as New Zealand were off to a great start. Also, Hardik Pandya and Dhawal Kulkarni’s not bowling their respective 10 overs was something Gavaskar did not like. Kedar Jadhav being a part time bowlers bowled more overs than Pandya and Kulkarni. India now has to try and clinch the 5 match series in Visakhapatnam on Saturday.