The Indian team presented its fans with the best Diwali gift, as the men in blue decimated New Zealand at Vishakhapatnam. A 190 run victory is enough to depict the thrashing inflicted upon New Zealand by the hosts, as the Indian spinners were simply outstanding. Riding on a stupendous bowling performance from leg spinner Amit Mishra, it was simply a rout, as the New Zealand batsmen stood like sitting ducks. Mishra’s five wicket haul for 18 runs was just too good for the Kiwis.
Earlier in the day, MS Dhoni won the toss and changed his tactics as he opted to bat first. Ajinkya Rahane endured yet another failure and wasted an opportunity, while his partner Rohit Sharma struck form with a fluent 70. Virat Kohli was once again the backbone of India’s batting as his 65 guided India to 269.
In the presentation, MS Dhoni was a delighted captain, as he lauded his side. “One of the best performances by the bowlers,” said Dhoni. “One of the pitches where bowlers bowled with a lot of assistance. There was a bit of dew but what was important was the pace at which they bowled. Fast bowlers gave us the breakthrough and then the spinners bowled well. The good thing is that he (Mishra) bowls slow so even if you commit a mistake, you can recover. Virat was good, there was a time when Rohit got injured but once he got out, he had given us the momentum,” Dhoni said.
Dhoni also added that the series was a fine opportunity to test the fringe players. “I am quite glad that we were able to rest some players as the big Test series is coming up. I felt there is plenty that players like Axar and Jadhav would have learnt from this series. We have to give time to the youngsters, there are a few ways they approach the game. The IPL way, where you keep hitting and chase down the target. But they will learn things with time. You need to respect the game,” Dhoni said.
Kane Williamson admitted that his side didn’t bat well and appreciated India’s bowling effort. “They played well and certainly deserve the series,” Williamson said. “Like I said a lot of credit goes to India but we do expect a lot from our batting. To lose 8 wickets for something is unacceptable. When you play the best side in the world on these kind of surfaces, you learn a lot. We would like to be better in the coming weeks. A lot of positives, after a heavy defeat in the Test series, we fought hard and improved.”