India vs New Zealand 2017, 1st ODI: Hits and Misses
The Indian cricket team was shaken out of its winning-daze violently by a disciplined New Zealand unit in the first ODI between the two sides at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday (October 23).
India came into the series brimming with confidence after a comfortable series victory over the Aussies last month. The team had lost just two out of their last 15 ODI encounters and looked in no mood to give up that form to the Kiwis.
However, the men under the astute Kane Williamson stepped up on the day and beat India at the very venue where the hosts lifted the ICC World Cup more than 6 years ago.
Here are the hits and misses from the game:
#6 Hit: The Tom Latham-Ross Taylor partnership
It has been long since a batting pair defied the famed Indian bowling line-up.
Youngster Tom Latham and veteran Ross Taylor did just that on Sunday, when they went on to build the best 4th-wicket partnership at Wankhede while guiding their team to a perfectly structured chase against Virat Kohli's men.
Latham won the Man of the Match award for his incredible innings of 103 off 102 balls. He remained unbeaten while scripting a beautiful end to the highest successful chase at the venue. It was also the highest partnership in a successful run chase against India in India.
Taylor brought his years of experience to the table and kept his head throughout the innings. The right-handed batsman knew that the target in front of them was achievable if the batting side paced their innings with intelligence. That's exactly what he did when coupled his vigilance with Latham's dynamism in their 200-run partnership.
The man was dismissed for 95, but definitely deserved a century for the way he went about his business throughout the innings.