Auckland, Nov 4: Team India started the five-match ODI series against New Zealand with a dominating five-wicket win via DLS method in the first one-dayer at the Eden Park, Auckland, on Wednesday (November 4).
Chasing a revised target of 143 in 32 overs, the Men in Blue reached home in 22.2 overs despite losing the last four wickets 29 runs, after pacers put up a spectacular show in the first innings to bundle the hosts to a below-par 185.
Virat Kohli Begins Series With A Bang
Chase master Virat Kohli - who surpassed batting great Sachin Tendulkar for the most runs in ODI runs chases and equalled Australian great Ricky Ponting to post most ODI runs against the New Zealand in this game - produced another match-winning performance. The right-handed talismanic batter's knock of 74 off
51 balls, before getting dismissed by Jacob Duffy, was another testament of his class and temperament.
Duffy - who was the pick of the bowlers for the hosts - returned with figures of 3/49 from his seven overs and even accounted for the wickets of Shreyas Iyer (15) and Axar Patel (0) to briefly pause Team India's surge in the run chase.
At one stage, the tourists were motoring along at 114/1 in 18.2 overs after the target was revised from 186 to 143 due to rain interruption. Kohli and Shubman Gill shared a stand of 113 runs (104 balls) for the second wicket to bring their team on top, despite losing the wicket of their senior opener Rohit Sharma in the first over.
Rohit Sharma Fails To Impress in Auckland
Pacer Kyle Jamieson removed the 39-year-old batter from Mumbai for a six-ball duck, dampening his return to the iconic venue. With Rohit nearing 40s and playing only the ODIs, it is being highly regarded as the Mumbaikar's last tour Down Under. Fans came out in good numbers to cheer the Hitman, who failed to entertain them.
Meanwhile, Kohli - who will turn 37 in a few hours and perhaps touring the Kiwiland for the last time - didn't disappoint the fans and notched up a sublime 35-ball fifty, his second-fastest ODI half-century.
The right-handed batter's knock was studded with some of his trademark drives, and it was laced with 13 fours. And the lone six of his innings, a brilliant pull shot over mid-wicket off Blair Tickner was a treat to the eyes, bringing a smile even on his face.
Indians lost the wickets in a cluster in the end but the Kiwi pacers couldn't exert any pressure on the Indians due to lack of runs on the board.
Indian Pacers Guide Hosts To A Famous Win
However, the credit for this win for India will go to their pacers as they bundled a strong New Zealand batting attack for a paltry 185 in 40.2 overs.
Arshdeep Singh returned with figures of 4/70 from his quota of 10 overs but save his tenth over, in which he leaked 23 runs to the tail enders, the left-arm pacer was almost impossible for the host batters to read.
Arshdeep dismissed Will Young (9) and Henry Nicholls (9) inside the first powerplay to help the tourists tighten their grip early in the game. Later, fellow pacers Gurnoor Brar (3/44) and Anshul Kamboj (2/22) ensured the hosts couldn't really get a breathing space. Kamboj even bowled a couple of maiden overs, further pushing the Kiwi batters on the backfoot.
Brar took the wicket of a dangerous-looking Tim Seifert for 38 in the 15th over when the scoreboard read 73 and pushed the hosts on the backfoot. The tall pacer from Punjab caught Tom Latham off his own bowling to send the former NZ skipper back to the pavilion for 3. The catch was a display of absolute athleticism and reflexes as the right-arm pacer just plucked it out of thin air and sent the southpaw back.
Kamboj, meanwhile, accounted for the wickets of NZ skipper Mitchell Santner (4) and Nathan Smith (1). The right-arm pacer from Haryana was adjuged the player of the match for his impressive figures of 2/22 in 10 overs. Auqib Nabi was the only pacer to return wicketless in this game as the J&K seamer returned with figures of 0/33 from six overs.
Daryl Mitchell - one of India's nemesis in white-ball format - was run out for 38, courtesy a mix-up with Glenn Phillips and a brilliant throw at the striker's end by Rohit Sharma. All KL Rahul had to do was collect the ball and dislodge the bails.
Tailenders Frustrate Indian Bowlers Again
Blair Tickner (34) and Jacob Duffy (15) shared a stand of 39 runs for the last wicket and took the NZ innings to a total of 185. Tickner played a brilliant cameo he dispatched the Indian bowlers for four sixes and a boundary. The right-handed batter frustrated Indian bowlers in the end and entertained the local fans with his cameo before getting caught behind by Rahul off Brar in the 41st over.
India will take plenty of confidence from this five-wicket victory as they begin their ODI series against New Zealand on a winning note. The pace attack delivered when it mattered, with Arshdeep, Gurnoor and Anshul leading the charge, while Kohli once again showed his class in a run chase.
Although the late batting collapse and New Zealand's last-wicket resistance will give the team a few areas to address, Gill and head coach Gautam Gambhir will be pleased with the overall performance. India will now look to carry the momentum into the second ODI in Wellington on November 7th and strengthen their grip on the series.
