2 mistakes and 1 masterstroke by India in the 1st ODI vs New Zealand
Team India conceded the first ODI of the three-match series against New Zealand by seven wickets on Friday, November 25.
The Men in Blue went through a few personnel changes from their 1-0 T20I series win over the Black Caps. Some of the players who came into the side, like Shubman Gill and captain Shikhar Dhawan, stepped up to the plate. Others, however, disappointed in Auckland.
Here are two mistakes and one masterstroke by India in the first ODI vs New Zealand.
#3 Mistake - Team composition
Team India's playing XI for the first ODI consisted of six specialist batters, followed by two all-rounders and three specialist batters. With their batting falling off a cliff post Shardul Thakur at No. 8, the openers needed to adopt a cautious approach, one that played into New Zealand's hands.
Moreover, India had only five bowling options. With Thakur not being a 10-over bank, Dhawan needed to be careful with his resources and eventually couldn't put a stop to a mammoth partnership between Tom Latham and Kane Williamson. Yuzvendra Chahal had an off-night, but the Indian skipper had no one to throw the ball to.
Playing either Deepak Chahar or Deepak Hooda, or maybe even both, might be the way forward in the series for the visitors.
#2 Masterstroke - Unleashing Umran Malik
Umran Malik was conspicuous by his absence in the T20I series as India fielded Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Arshdeep Singh even though both swing bowlers featured in the playing XI throughout the preceding T20 World Cup. Malik was finally handed a cap as he made his ODI debut against the Kiwis on Friday.
The express quick was the sole bright spot in the Indian attack as he harried the Kiwi batters with his pace. He dismissed Devon Conway and Daryl Mitchell with wide deliveries and even had New Zealand skipper Williamson in trouble at times.
Malik needs to be given a long rope with the Indian team, and the management made a great call to field him in the XI. Dhawan needs to be given credit for the way he used the pacer as well.
#1 Mistake - Not bowling to the field
The awkward dimensions of Eden Park are a challenge for any bowler, but the average scores at the venue indicate that it isn't hard to succeed if they bowl to their plans. Despite the swing on offer and the two-paced nature of the surface, India found it difficult to keep a check on the run-scoring in the second powerplay.
That's largely because they refused to bowl to their fields. While Chahal sent down a number of short balls, Thakur too erred on the shorter side in his second spell. Latham and Williamson made merry, with even Arshdeep Singh being unable to conjure anything special.
India's bowlers got their planning and execution all wrong in the first ODI despite a promising start, and they will need to up their game in Hamilton on Sunday.