Mohali: Stung by an improved New Zealand side the other night, a wary India would like to quickly get their house in order when they square off with Kane Williamson’s boys in the third ODI here, Sunday.
While the six-run defeat in Delhi has given India plenty to ponder about, it has also renewed interest in the contest which had been dominated by the home team prior to Thursday, stretching from the one-sided Test series to the first ODI in Dharamsala.
From a New Zealand point of view, a victory was all that they needed after a string of deflating defeats. As a result of their first win on Indian soil in 13 years, one can expect a certain spring in the stride of the visitors when they take the field at the PCA Stadium here.
India, on the other hand, can only blame themselves for suffering a rude shock after failing to chase down a 243-run target, a total they were expected to overhaul with little difficulty. As captain MS Dhoni put it, the hosts would have won the game had some of their batsmen had made an extra 10-15 runs instead of getting out at crucial junctures.
With most batsmen not showing the required maturity to bail the team out of a tricky situation, it would be a tad unfair to only point fingers at Dhoni. Interestingly, in the last ODI played here three years ago, Dhoni had smashed an unbeaten 139, albeit in a losing cause against Australia.
Last but not the least, India’s batting mainstay Virat Kohli will be expected to showcase his masterclass yet again. The dew will be a factor again, just like it was in Delhi and Dharamsala. With the home team having won all the tosses so far, the bowlers have done a decent job bowing first.
Umesh Yadav and Hardik Pandya have been effective with the new ball with Jasprit Bumrah providing a strong back-up, especially in the death overs. Spinners Amit Mishra and Axar Patel have performed their role well.
While India would look to reassert themselves over the opposition again, a reinvigorated New Zealand would be keen to cash in on the slight momentum they have gained with their first win of the tour. It will be interesting to see whether New Zealand stick to picking only one specialist spinner in Mitchell Santner or they bring back Sodhi.
The bulk of the burden in the batting department will be borne by skipper Kane Williamson. But the one batman that has been consistent for them is opener Tom Latham. They would also be hoping opener Martin Guptill and Ross Taylor return to form after a prolonged lean patch.
Press Trust of India
