New Zealand vs India: 1st ODI– Player Ratings
India continued their great form from Australia as they defeated the hosts in the first ODI at Napier. The Black Caps just didn’t show up in any department as they lost the game by eight wickets. Kane Williamson won the toss and chose to bat first on what looked a beautiful wicket to bat on.
The innings didn’t go to plan for the Kiwis as they kept on losing wickets at the regular intervals. Mohammad Shami set the tone at the top and spinners spun a web around the middle-order batsmen as NZ were bundled out for 157.
Williamson was the only batsman who looked good and scored a half-century for his team. Chasing 158, India started well with 41-0 at the dinner break. After the break, Rohit departed early and the match was stopped due to an unusual incident.
For the first time in international cricket, a game was stopped by the sun. Due to the interruption, the match was reduced to 49 overs with a target of 156. Shikhar Dhawan along with Virat Kohli and Ambati Rayudu chased down the total pretty easily.
With this win, India now takes the initial lead of 1-0 in the five-match series. NZ will look to make a comeback in the next game on the 26th of January. Here are the player ratings for the first ODI.
India
1. Rohit Sharma– 3/10
Rohit Sharma wasn’t timing the ball well as he got out for 11. He had the opportunity to score big but he didn’t take it. He will look to score in the next few games.
2. Shikhar Dhawan– 8/10
Dhawan played his role to perfection. He gave an aggressive start and converted the start to a 75*. He had not been capitalizing on the starts in the previous few matches, but now that he has done it, he will get the confidence for the rest of the series.
3. Virat Kohli – 6/10
Kohli was looking set for another ODI half-century but got out for 45. As usual, he looked good and was driving the balls for fun. He would be disappointed that he didn’t remain not out at the end.
4. Ambati Rayudu– 6/10
Rayudu didn’t have much to do as he came into bat when India needed just 24 runs to win. He scored a 13* and that’s the best he could have done.
5. MS Dhoni– 6/10
He did not get to bat, but he was neat with the gloves and even hatched with wrist-spinner Kuldeep, a plan to dismiss Trent Boult.
6. Kedar Jadhav– 6/10
Kedar Jadhav did the job of the sixth bowler well as he bowled three good overs and picked up a wicket as well. His services with the bat weren't needed.
7. Vijay Shankar– 6/10
Vijay Shankar was economical with the ball as he bowled four overs for just 19 runs. He didn't get to bat, for the second time in a row.
8. Bhuvneshwar Kumar– 6/10
Bhuvi didn't have much to do as the spinners spun a web against the Kiwis. He was decent with the new ball and wasn't needed for his second spell.
9. Kuldeep Yadav – 9/10
After a disappointing outing in the 2nd ODI against Australia Kuldeep made a brilliant comeback in this game. He didn't pick any wickets in his first six overs but picked up four in his last four.
10. Mohammad Shami – 8.5/10
Shami gave the perfect start to India as he picked up the openers in his first couple of overs. He came back in his second spell to take the wicket of Mitchell Santner. He is making a strong case for the third seamer's spot in the World Cup.
11. Yuzvendra Chahal – 8/10
Yuzvendra Chahal continued his good form as he picked up two wickets for 43 runs. He took the important wickets of Ross Taylor and Tom Latham who were in great form before this series.