New Zealand vs India 2020: Top 3 performers in the ODI series
After suffering a 5-0 defeat in the T20I series, New Zealand bounced back strongly in the ODI series, whitewashing India 3-0.
The home side did not have the services of their marquee players but still managed to overcome the challenge the Men in Blue posed them.
The quartet of Ross Taylor, Henry Nicholls, Tom Latham, and Martin Guptill played massive roles in the success New Zealand achieved, while most of the Indian players had a series to forget.
Indian skipper Virat Kohli could not play a single match-winning innings with the bat, while the team's premier fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah failed to take a single wicket. KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer, meanwhile, were the biggest positives for the Indian side from this series.
The two teams will now lock horns in the ICC World Test Championship series but for now, we take a look at the top three performers from the ODI series between New Zealand and India.
#3 Ross Taylor
Many fans slated Ross Taylor for his inability to finish off games during the T20I series, however, the middle-order batsman silenced his critics with two match-winning performances in the ODI series.
He hit a swashbuckling hundred in the series opener to help New Zealand pull off their highest successful run chase in ODI history.
In the second match, he stitched a magnificent partnership for the ninth wicket with debutant Kyle Jamieson and drove the Black Caps to a respectable total.
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Although he did not play a big innings in the third game, his total of 194 runs in 3 games ensured New Zealand came away with a series victory.
#2 Yuzvendra Chahal
The only Indian bowler who impressed in this series was Yuzvendra Chahal. The leg-spinner ended the ODI leg of the tour as the highest wicket-taker despite missing the series opener. Chahal scalped 6 wickets in 2 matches while giving away runs at an economy rate of 5.25.
In the 20 overs he bowled in this series, Chahal conceded just 105 runs. He took 3 wickets in either match but received little to no support from the other bowlers, which resulted in a disappointing 3-0 defeat for India.
#1 Henry Nicholls
While the duo of Ross Taylor and Martin Guptill stole the limelight with their destructive hitting, it was Henry Nicholls who proved to be the silent assassin for the Kiwis. The left-handed opening batsman aggregated the most runs for New Zealand, ending the series with 199 runs in 3 matches.
He registered two half-centuries and averaged 66.33, which is evidence of how tough it was to scalp his wicket.
Nicholls played a major role in each of New Zealand's wins and will go down as the best performer in this 3-match ODI series.