2nd ODI: New Zealand addresses ‘obvious’ issues against India

Batting and bowling let the host down in the first ODI in Napier; the team looks to pull up its socks ahead of the second one-dayer.

New Zealand needs to bat in partnerships and take the game deep, says Trent Boult.

New Zealand has pin-pointed two “obvious” areas where it needs to improve for Saturday’s second One-Day International (ODI) against India — batting and bowling.

India exposed a huge gulf between the world’s second and third-ranked sides when it strolled home by eight wickets in the series opener at Napier on Wednesday.

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Shikhar Dhawan, who finished unbeaten on 75 as India chased down the 156-run target, said there was pressure on all the tourists to perform if they wanted to make the squad. “The competition is always there in our side,” he said Friday on the eve of the second ODI in Mount Maunganui. “Everyone has been performing really well. Our strength [of depth] is very good.”

‘Severely outplayed’

While India has the nice problem of a surfeit of talent, New Zealand swing bowler Trent Boult noted the home side’s issues in the two key areas. “I think it’s obvious we know where we went wrong,” he said. “We were severely outplayed the other day.”

After winning the toss and electing to bat, New Zealand was rolled for 157 in 38 overs. The match was shortened to 49 overs — and India given the slightly reduced target — after glare from the setting sun forced a delay of more than half an hour.

Trent Boult (left) and his new-ball partner Tim Southee will be in search of early wickets in the second ODI. It eluded them in Napier. Photo: AFP

 

Boult said New Zealand needed to set a good platform at the start of the innings “and obviously put a good target on the board. It’s about batting in partnerships and taking the game deep so we can really cash in in those later overs.”

Early wickets needed

Mohammed Shami whipped out the New Zealand openers in his first two overs but Boult and new-ball partner Tim Southee were unable to make a similar breakthrough. “We know that early wickets in this format kind of kill you,” Boult said, saying New Zealand needed to be aggressive with the new ball.

“If we can get three wickets in the first 10 overs, we know what pressure that puts on the rest of the team in the shed. They are human and they do make mistakes,” Boult reasoned.

New Zealand played Mitchell Santner as its sole spinner in Napier but may add Ish Sodhi to the line-up for game two following the success of India’s spin pair Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal, who took six wickets between them in the opener of the five-ODI series.