As India gets closer to winning the ODI series against New Zealand in the second game, which takes place in Rajkot on Wednesday, Virat Kohli’s dominant form has been able to counteract growing injury concerns around several important players. They would hope that the list doesn’t become any longer.
In the lung-opener in Vadodara, India defeated New Zealand by four wickets, however Washington Sundar was sidelined for the rest of the series owing to a side strain.
Ayush Badoni of Delhi has been selected, but considering head coach Gautam Gambhir’s penchant for multi-skilled players, it is quite likely that India will add another all-rounder, Nitish Kumar Reddy, to the starting lineup.
Rishabh Pant was eliminated from the series after suffering a blow when batting against Indian throw-down personnel on the eve of the first ODI. Dhruv Jurel, who might be another possibility for a specialist batter if the team management chooses to go that route, was drafted by the selectors in response to Pant’s ouster.
With the T20 World Cup less than a month away, India’s white-ball team would like not to see additional injuries despite the options available.
The batting lineup for that team would be completely different from the one used in the ODIs. However, certain players are shared by both teams, and Tilak Varma, an essential all-rounder, will miss at least the first three Twenty20 Internationals against the Kiwis because of a groin injury.
All of these worries, though, are for later because the two veterans, who have distinguished themselves in Indian cricket, are the focus of the current series. In the last leg of a spectacular international run, Kohli and Rohit Sharma are obviously having fun.
In the first ODI, Kohli just missed his 54th ODI century, but despite a brief collapse that caused some anxiety, his stroke-filled 91-ball 93 set up India’s victory.
However, considering the gap between the two sides and the fact that New Zealand is also severely depleted for the ODIs, none of that would concern the think tank.
In the first match of the series, captain Shubman Gill scored a cool half-century while his deputy, Shreyas Iyer, missed his by one run. However, a strong batting performance marked by a brilliant start from Rohit would guarantee that India will once again go all out.
Kohli is riding high on confidence and playing at a different level for someone who has been batting in the nets with the same passion as in the game. He appears to be free from the weight of criticism and expectations.
Since Kohli hasn’t stopped attacking from the beginning or missed any runs out on the field, his batting has taken on more hues. This is the reason he became the fastest player in Vadodara to reach 28,000 runs in all formats.
India would still like to see a major improvement in their bowling performance, particularly from their spinners, who struggled in Vadodara due to a lack of grip and turn.
Spinners would hope for improved surface assistance at the Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot, as the fast bowlers’ inventiveness of taking the pace off the ball produced some breakthroughs in the previous game.
New Zealand will take great pride in holding India close in the first game despite Kohli’s exploits, even if they lost the first ODI.
Before Kyle Jamieson’s three-wicket burst (4/41) opened the game, the equation had stayed run-a-ball throughout India’s pursuit of 301. However, the Kiwis lost the game due to a couple late fumbled catches.
Southpaws Devon Conway and Henry Nicholls’ opening partnership of 117 runs created the foundation, which the middle order wasted. However, New Zealand scored just about enough runs with Daryl Mitchell’s spectacular 84.
The Kiwis also benefited from the late performances of Mitchell Hay and Kristian Clarke, and they will undoubtedly hope that rookie leg-spinner Adithya Ashok recovers from the Vadodara experience.
Teams:
India: Shubman Gill (Captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul (wicket-keeper), Dhruv Jurel (wicket-keeper), Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ayush Badoni, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj, Harshit Rana
New Zealand: Michael Bracewell (Captain), Devon Conway (wicket-keeper), Mitchell Hay (wicket-keeper), Nick Kelly, Henry Nicholls, Will Young, Josh Clarkson, Zak Foulkes, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Adithya Ashok, Kristian Clarke, Kyle Jamieson, Jayden Lennox, Michael Rae
