New Zealand vs India: Three observations from the 2nd T20 as Men in Blue win again
New Zealand hosted India at Eden Park in Auckland for the second T20I, hoping to come back into the series after losing the first T20. On a seemingly dry wicket, the hosts won the toss and quite surprisingly decided to bat first.
The Kiwis started really well, scoring 48 runs for the loss of one wicket in the powerplay. But after the first 6 overs, New Zealand failed to up the tempo. They kept losing wickets and never really managed to stitch together a game-changing partnership.
Kane Williamson (14 from 20 balls), Colin de Grandhomme (3 from 5 balls), and Ross Taylor (18 from 24 balls) failed to take on the Indian bowling attack, which meant New Zealand ended with just 132 runs. Tim Seifert (33 from 26 balls) was the only batsman who managed to hit a few lusty blows in the late overs and remained not out.
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Chasing a below-par total, New Zealand dismissed Rohit Sharma (8 from 6 balls) early, before KL Rahul and Virat Kohli steadied the ship. The Indian skipper was dismissed for 11 from 12 balls just before the powerplay, which meant India were on the backfoot.
Rahul (57 from 50 balls) and Shreyas Iyer (44 from 33 balls) stitched together a wonderful 86-run partnership and took India to the brink of victory. After Iyer's departure, Shivam Dube and Rahul made sure that the hosts won by 7 wickets. Here are three observations from the game.
#3 New Zealand's middle order failed miserably
Although it was a dry wicket at Eden Park, 132 was never going to be good enough and the reason why the hosts couldn't score higher was that their middle order didn't deliver. New Zealand are heavily dependent on Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor, but if these two don't deliver the goods, the Kiwis lose more often than not.
We saw something similar on Sunday as no one stepped up for the hosts during the middle stage of the innings. We didn't see one good partnership during the death overs and that, in the end, lead to the Kiwis' downfall.
#2 India were outstanding with the ball
India improved massively with the ball in the 2nd T20. They were impressive in the powerplay overs, during the mid-stage, and at the death. From Shivam Dube to Jasprit Bumrah, every bowler chipped in and played their part. Mohammed Shami and Bumrah were quite economical and their death bowling was a treat to watch.
Ravindra Jadeja picked up two wickets and was by far India's best bowler. Yuzvendra Chahal and Shardul Thakur played their parts as well, although the former failed to get any wickets. Dube also picked up a wicket in the two overs that he bowled. All in all, it was a clinical performance from the Indian bowling attack.
#1 KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer impressed .......again
KL Rahul is slowly but surely nailing down that opening spot alongside Rohit Sharma in the T20 format and he took another step towards it by playing another match-winning knock on Sunday. The Karnataka batsman showed maturity when he wasn't able to time the well at the start of the innings. He stayed at the crease and hit big shots once he was set to ensure that his team emerged victorious.
Shreyas Iyer again showed why India can rely on him for the number four spot. After Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma got out early, India needed a good partnership. And that is exactly what Iyer and Rahul did. These two batsmen have impressed over the past couple of months and the team management would be very pleased with that.