"Feels like knockout match of World Cup" - Fans slam bowlers as Latham & Williamson hand India a hammering loss

Team India suffered their fifth successive loss in ODIs against New Zealand as the hosts coasted to a seven-wicket victory in the first of the three-match series at Eden Park in Auckland on Friday.

Chasing a target of 307, the record partnership between captain Kane Williamson and Tom Latham of 221* saw them get home with almost three overs to spare. The Indian bowlers were inconsistent with their line and length and on a small ground like Eden Park, they were certainly not going to get away with these mistakes.

Fans on Twitter slammed the Men in Blue for bowling freebies every now and then and for allowing the likes of Latham and Williamson to release the scoreboard pressure. Here are some of the reactions:

Abhinandan

@Abhinandan5653

Mujhe India ki LOI bowling se confidence aata hi nhin hai,we hype mediocre bowlers and then cry at multinational event failures,kitne aise bowlers hain ICT mein jinki bowling dekhne ka maza aata hai ? ,ya unhe dekh ke bache bowler banne ki inspiration lenge ?

3

1

Mujhe India ki LOI bowling se confidence aata hi nhin hai,we hype mediocre bowlers and then cry at multinational event failures,kitne aise bowlers hain ICT mein jinki bowling dekhne ka maza aata hai ? ,ya unhe dekh ke bache bowler banne ki inspiration lenge ?

Alpha Mike ↗️

@Alpha_V18

India compromised on their bowling strength in order to play someone who can bat at 8 in WC, and paid for it

Did the same mistake today & again paid for it.
#siraj has been bowling exceptionally well since that South Africa #ODI series,He should start ahead of lord in ODI's

1

India compromised on their bowling strength in order to play someone who can bat at 8 in WC, and paid for it

Did the same mistake today & again paid for it.
#siraj has been bowling exceptionally well since that South Africa #ODI series,He should start ahead of lord in ODI's

Archer

@poserarcher

4-1-9-1 ..who is this bowler ..doesn't look like Shardul Thakur.

100

3

4-1-9-1 ..who is this bowler ..doesn't look like Shardul Thakur. 😂

David

@CricketFreakD1

Time to think about Chahal for ODIs. Really an irrelevant spinner. No fear, comes in, bowls 6 deliveries, leaves. Just like part-timer. India need to work out this phase ASAP, take tough calls on bowlers. Chahal is so easy for batters.

19

3

Time to think about Chahal for ODIs. Really an irrelevant spinner. No fear, comes in, bowls 6 deliveries, leaves. Just like part-timer. India need to work out this phase ASAP, take tough calls on bowlers. Chahal is so easy for batters.

Wasim Jaffer

@WasimJaffer14

Well played @BLACKCAPS 🏽 Made 300 look like 270. Williamson all class as always but Latham stole the show. Not easy for an opener to move down the order and still be successful. India missed a trick by just playing 5 bowlers. #NZvIND

1666

54

Well played @BLACKCAPS 👏🏽 Made 300 look like 270. Williamson all class as always but Latham stole the show. Not easy for an opener to move down the order and still be successful. India missed a trick by just playing 5 bowlers. #NZvIND https://t.co/bcGnf6K5Ry

Cricket🏏 Lover

@CricCrazyV

Arshdeep Singh had just 21 wickets in his 17 matches List A career (50 overs domestics)

He got selected only on basis of T20Is .
I am not blaming him blame is to selectors and management.

30

3

Arshdeep Singh had just 21 wickets in his 17 matches List A career (50 overs domestics)

He got selected only on basis of T20Is 👍.
I am not blaming him blame is to selectors and management.

Alpha Mike ↗️

@Alpha_V18

If we don't have a batter in top6 Who can bowl then find a bowler who can bat in top 6, Give it a try, take one bold call. As such these are bilaterals

Try out Sundar or Shahbaz at number 4/5, they can hang around and rotate strike.. exactly what's required in #ODI middle overs

If we don't have a batter in top6 Who can bowl then find a bowler who can bat in top 6, Give it a try, take one bold call. As such these are bilaterals

Try out Sundar or Shahbaz at number 4/5, they can hang around and rotate strike.. exactly what's required in #ODI middle overs

Mufaddal Vohra

@mufaddal_vohre

There was a time when ODIs were on peak when Virat kohli make tons for fun and chahal - kuldeep duo wins us matches,
Nothing is interesting left in this format!

206

20

There was a time when ODIs were on peak when Virat kohli make tons for fun and chahal - kuldeep duo wins us matches,
Nothing is interesting left in this format!

Akshat Satwik

@AkshatSatwik

Umran is a run machine idc about his wickets
Lord thakur also in mud

1

Umran is a run machine idc about his wickets
Lord thakur also in mud

Zainab

@autumnfall098

Latham, Klassen, Maxwell all have saved their runs vs India.

24

3

Latham, Klassen, Maxwell all have saved their runs vs India.

∆nkit🏏

@CaughtAtGully

🤣🤣

54

6

🤣😭🤣😭 https://t.co/DGPl0tttz6

Johns.

@CricCrazyJohns

Performance of the Indian team in the last 5 ODI against New Zealand:

Lost
Lost
Lost
Lost
Lost

1261

95

Performance of the Indian team in the last 5 ODI against New Zealand:

Lost
Lost
Lost
Lost
Lost

Heisenberg ☢

@internetumpire

Why did we bat like it's a ODI match and bowling like it's T20's? What new format is this that I'm not aware of?

467

18

Why did we bat like it's a ODI match and bowling like it's T20's? What new format is this that I'm not aware of?

Hardy

@Cricsomaniac

Run toh kam the hi upar se bowling bhi 5 .. Uspe Aisi bowling 🥲

Thik hai ab toh dukh bhi n hota

#NZvIND

Run toh kam the hi upar se bowling bhi 5 .. Uspe Aisi bowling 🥲

Thik hai ab toh dukh bhi n hota 😊

#NZvIND

Jassa

@JasCricket

I haven't watched the whole match today, but the bits that I did of our bowling, it was absolutely horrifying Captaincy, strategy and equally bad bowling performance. Highly disappointed to see Arshdeep like this.

1

I haven't watched the whole match today, but the bits that I did of our bowling, it was absolutely horrifying Captaincy, strategy and equally bad bowling performance. Highly disappointed to see Arshdeep like this.

Hriday 🇦🇷🇦🇷

@Hriday1812

Bhai hum to bilaterals mei bhi nahi hara paa rahe hai.

3

Bhai hum to bilaterals mei bhi nahi hara paa rahe hai. 😭😭😭😭😭😭

Silly Point

@FarziCricketer

This is called big heart. Lord saw team is losing so he decided to take all the blame from his teammates. #NZvIND

1883

108

This is called big heart. Lord saw team is losing so he decided to take all the blame from his teammates. #NZvIND

Kartik O 🏏⚽🔗

@KOCricket528

Eventually feel The men's team need to learn from the women's one here. Need to get the top order batters to work on thier bowling skills as well. You just can't have 5 batters in the same line up who can't even chip in a couple of overs when required. #NZvIND #NZvsIND

4

1

Eventually feel The men's team need to learn from the women's one here. Need to get the top order batters to work on thier bowling skills as well. You just can't have 5 batters in the same line up who can't even chip in a couple of overs when required. #NZvIND #NZvsIND

Silly Point

@FarziCricketer

Feels like knockout match of World Cup. #NZvIND

830

27

Feels like knockout match of World Cup. #NZvIND

Jatin Khandelwal

@jr_khandelwal

Tom Latham was 77(70).
One over later he is 100(76).
Courtesy: Lord Shardul Thakur 🤣
#INDvsNZ

3

Tom Latham was 77(70).
One over later he is 100(76).
Courtesy: Lord Shardul Thakur 😭🤣
#INDvsNZ

فردوس ارشاد پیر

@fidupeer

#IndianCricketTeam
#indvsnzlive
#UmranMalik
Shardul Thakur to Tom latham :

5

#IndianCricketTeam
#indvsnzlive
#UmranMalik
Shardul Thakur to Tom latham : https://t.co/gwTmQdEw00

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Tom Latham's career-best score floored Indian bowling

The Men in Blue got off to a decent start with the ball as the hosts were in a spot of bother at 88/3 towards the end of the 20th over. Tom Latham walked out to bat and him against the spinners was always going to be a battle worth watching.

The southpaw showed just how good he is against spin, making great use of the sweep shot every now and then and pouncing on the loose deliveries. The inconsistency of the pacers like Shardul Thakur and Arshdeep Singh didn't help either, as the pressure created from the other end was immediately released.

Latham scored a sparkling 145* and captain Williamson remained unbeaten on 94* as New Zealand gave Shikhar Dhawan and Co. an absolute hammering. The Men in Blue will need to come back stronger on Sunday if they want to avoid a series defeat.

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India XI: Shikhar Dhawan (c), Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Sanju Samson, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Umran Malik, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal.

New Zealand XI: Finn Allen, Devon Conway, Kane Williamson (c), Tom Latham (wk), Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Adam Milne, Matt Henry, Tim Southee, Lockie Ferguson.

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