India shines bright after Kiwi polish

For home fans, the incredible form of Virat Kohli was the biggest takeaway from the field as India won the ODI series against New Zealand. His aggregate of 263 runs with two centuries reaffirmed his hunger for runs and the discipline that dominates his preparations for the season.

Published : Oct 30, 2017 20:01 IST , Kanpur

Indian players celebrate their series victory against New Zealand at the Green Park in Kanpur on Sunday.
Indian players celebrate their series victory against New Zealand at the Green Park in Kanpur on Sunday.
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Indian players celebrate their series victory against New Zealand at the Green Park in Kanpur on Sunday.

A resplendent Green Park on Sunday showcased the combative instincts of Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah and Yuzvendra Chahal, a trio that can be entrusted the job of forming the nucleus of India’s attack for the 2019 World Cup. In denying New Zealand a victory they won the admiration of a grateful team and hearts of a legion of fans.

READ: Rohit Sharma: 'Whenever the bowlers are put under pressure, they know how to come back'

New Zealand coach Mike Hesson acknowledged the role of India’s bowlers. “We executed our plans under extreme pressure as the target was a little bit daunting. We tried to get ourselves to a 20-20 situation and could have chased 170 off the last 20 with wickets in hands. But Bumrah was exceptional at the end. He was always going to be difficult. Bhuvaneshwar and Bumrah are some of the best yorker bowlers in the world.”

Endorsement came from Rohit as well. “I think we have the two best death bowlers (Bhuvaneshwar and Bumrah). If you look at the last series against Australia, the way they have bowled, you have to praise them a lot. Because if you look at Australia’s batting, with their power hitting, those were the two bowlers who got us back most of the times. On this wicket, in these (wet due to dew) conditions, only 35 were required in four overs. It should have been made easily. It is only because of these two that we could pull the game back.”

READ: India prevails in thriller, clinches ODI series

Adjudged the Man of the Match, Rohit said, “Firstly there are no easy wins. Whichever team you play, as an Indian team we always do try and do our best. You don’t see the opposition and play. Yes, even when we played against Australia, they tested us a number of times and we responded well to the situations and won the games. In the last two games (against New Zealand) we showed a lot of character. We came back from tough situations.” He had laid the base for India’s series win with a delightful century on at the Green Park.

As Rohit noted, “It is the hallmark of this team – to come back from tough situations and respond to that situation really well. We knew that it wasn’t going to be that easy because there was a lot of dew on the field. But our bowlers did exceptionally well to come back every now and then. So that’s what we expect as a team from this bowling unit. Whenever they are put under pressure, they know how to come back.”

READ: Virat Kohli slams 32nd ton, enters 9,000 club

For Rohit, the turning point was the dismissal of Colin Munro followed by Kane Williamson, both falling to the large-hearted leg-spinner Chahal. “There were a number of game-changing moments,” he said. Of course, Chahal conceded far less runs (47) than Bhuvneshwar (92) and his twin strike came when the Indian spirits were sagging. 

Kane Williamson, the New Zealand skipper, took a philosophical view of the result. “A year ago we were playing the decider. We got bowled out for 67 chasing 260, so to put that into context, to be chasing a formidable total like that and to put in a performance shows how the team is evolving.” He should be pleased with Tom Latham (206 runs) and Munro’s (113 runs) excellent show even as New Zealand lamented seamer Trent Bolt failing in the decider.

READ: Kohli claims ICC top spot, surpasses Tendulkar’s points

For home fans, the incredible form of Virat Kohli was the biggest takeaway from the field. His aggregate of 263 runs with two centuries reaffirmed his hunger for runs and the discipline that dominates his preparations for the season. He continues to evolve as a captain but sure ha made astounding progress as a batsman in all formats of the game.

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