From the Desk of a Sports Enthusiast: IND vs NZ (3rd ODI)
Written on February 12th, 2020 by {"login"=>"jcbitshyd", "email"=>"journal@hyderabad.bits-pilani.ac.in", "display_name"=>"Journal Club, BPHC", "first_name"=>"", "last_name"=>""}With New Zealand having already won the series, the only thing on their mind was to get revenge on the whitewash by team India in the T20 series. India was keen to save themselves from an embarrassing blowout but ultimately came up short against the Black Caps. India played in hard-fought games throughout the series and would rue their inability to take the game by the scruff of the neck. There were some glaring mistakes made by this team that I think shouldn't happen considering the quality and the depth that the team possesses. Some moments stood out for me but ultimately Team India came off well short of finishing line.
Reflecting on the game and the series, it is evident that K.L Rahul has been in the form of his life. He has shown tremendous versatility and the ability to adapt to tough conditions. His innings helped the men in blue to get runs on board despite the lack of support from the other end. He looked like the only guy apart from Iyer whom the team could count on throughout the series. He has repaid the captain's faith in him by giving reliable and consistent performances. I feel that he can be the person the team can really back on in the absence of Pandya for finishing the games. He has turned out to be a big arsenal in Team India's disposal.
After years of constant experimenting and disappointments, I feel that finally, we have found an ideal number 4 batsman in Shreyas Iyer. An ideal number four, in my opinion, should be able to rebuild an innings when the team loses wickets upfront and accelerate the innings if the top order were firing all cylinders. Yesterday his partnership with Rahul came at a crucial stage. His presence at the end of the innings would have guaranteed another 20 runs on the scorecard.
While other bowlers were struggling to find their feet in the tricky wicket, Chahal rose to the challenge. He bowled exceptionally well and took two crucial wickets of Kane Williamson and Martin Guptil. He has been economical throughout the series and kept on piling the pressure on the Kiwis.
In recent years, India has built a strong bench which has helped the team deal with injuries ever so easily. With Rohit Sharma and Shikar Dhawan missing the tournament due to injuries, Prithwi Shaw was called into action. The young and flamboyant opener from Mumbai was looking good and will be one of the stars of the future of this team.
Well, our Indian squad has been flawless throughout the past year, but the series might be an exception to that. We have found a lot of similar mistakes that have cost us a lot of games or rather the series. Let's have a look at them.
India has failed to take wickets in the early overs. Taking wickets in the early stages of innings has helped Team India to win crucial games outside the subcontinent. That hasn't been the case this series. I think the current bowling attack is too young to exploit the conditions in their favour. In my opinion, Shardul Thakur doesn't have the weapons up his arsenal to deceive the batsmen on flat decks which escalates the problem even more. Jasprit Bumrah has made a reputation for himself to be the best bowler in the world. So I feel that the opposition batsmen are playing him out and scoring runs from the other bowlers.
Another problem has been the management's strategy to play only one wrist spinner in the team. Kuldeep and Chahal's pairing has taken crucial wickets for the team over the years around the world. Why change that? An extra batsman can't do anything if you can't take wickets at regular intervals. In my opinion, this mistake cost us the series.
The team is also overdependent on Virat Kohli to save them in crucial must-win games. I feel that Kohli felt the pressure of being the only senior in the team and was rushed into his innings. This was a disappointing series for Kolhi, and his struggles prove he is also a mere mortal like all of us.
The Kiwis have beaten us fair and square in the series. They earned my respect with their quality of cricket and exemplary conduct on the pitch. It has been a great learning experience for the young Indian squad in New Zealand. I hope we can turn the tables against the Black Caps in Test matches.