By: Tarish Bhatt
India have started the ODI series with a dominating win over New Zealand in Dharamsala. The Indian bowlers laid down the foundation by bundling out the Blackcaps for a paltry total, and the batsmen does the rest.
The Indian team won the opening contest by six wickets to take a 1-0 lead in the series. New Zealand never looked like in the contest, after posting just 190, batting first at the scenic HPCA Stadium.
Chasing 190, India got off to a solid start with Ajinkya Rahane and Rohit Sharma. They, however, fell in quick successions. But Virat Kohli and captain MS Dhoni ensured India’s win. Kohli remained unbeaten at the end.
“We lost too many wickets too early,” Kiwi skipper Kane Williamson said. “Looked a bit worse, so some good scrapping towards the end. India were too good, very good chasing side and they showed it today.”
New Zealand never really created any chances. The total, also, wasn’t big enough to create a pressure of any sort over the batsmen. The Indian team eventually chase down the total with 101 balls to spare.
Earlier, Indian new-ball bowlers demolished the Blackcaps. Debutant Hardik Pandya and Umesh Yadav asserted dominance right from the start. Kedar Jadhav and Amit Mishra then wrapped up the kiwi innings.
Apart from Tom Latham and Tim Southee, no New Zealand batsman managed to bat with grit. Both Latham and Southee scored fifties, while the former carried his bat at the end. Had it not been a gritty effort from Latham and Southee, New Zealand would have left Dharamsala even more embarrassed.
“We were below par in all areas, we need to step that up,” Williamson insisted. “We’re a tough unit, so we need to stick together and have to play our best cricket to beat India.”
