By: Tarish Bhatt
In the powerplay itself it become clear which team will take the initiative in the series. The Indian pacers, Umesh Yadav and Hardik Pandya, wretched havoc with the new-ball to set the game for the hosts.
Pandya and Yadav swung the ball, and created all sorts of troubles for the Blackcaps. The former finished with three wickets, and looked pretty sharp, while Yadav was quick as always, and took a couple.
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“Fantastic performance from the fast bowlers. We had no clue it would help the fast bowlers,” MS Dhoni said. “Hardik exploited the good length, a short of a good length. Umesh is somebody who has been quite quick consistently.”
“He has gone from fit to one of the fittest,” he added. “Hardik is deceptive, you think he would bowl 132, but he crosses 135 consistently. Both Mishra and Axar bowled well. They did go for some runs.”
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If there were any doubts about him being rusty, the captain cleared them all. Dhoni made a 24-ball 21, featuring a massive six over the fine-leg. He was middling the ball well, and seemed like getting his timing back.
“If we did not take early wickets, it was a 280-300 wicket. Important to bat in the middle, I was in no hurry. The more deliveries I play, the better for me. At times, the toss can be very crucial in this series.”
