article by Suvankar Roy
India faced New Zealand in the second ODI of the series on home turf this past Thursday. Winning the toss, the Kiwis elected to bowl first. India’s opening duo, Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill, took to the crease to begin the innings. While the “Hitman” looked slightly shaky against the new ball initially, he broke free after just nine deliveries, unleashing his trademark aggression. However, Rohit’s cameo ended at 24 runs when he was caught out off the bowling of Christian Clark.
At the other end, India’s skipper Shubman Gill continued his dream form, scoring a magnificent half-century. Following his performance in the first ODI, the captain notched up yet another fifty. But the joy was short-lived as Gill was forced to depart for 56.
The in-form Virat Kohli also started brilliantly, though he couldn’t convert it into a big score today. At 23 runs, while attempting a shot toward point off Christian Clark, Kohli suffered an inside edge that dragged the ball onto his stumps—a dismissal that hauntingly reminded fans of the 2023 World Cup final. With Shreyas Iyer also falling for just 8, India plummeted from a comfortable 70/0 to a precarious 118/4.
With the top order back in the dugout, India found themselves in deep trouble. It was then that KL Rahul walked out to the middle. Batting at number five, Rahul once again proved his mettle, refusing to give an inch without a fight. He stitched together a vital 74-run partnership with Ravindra Jadeja, followed by a 57-run stand with Nitish Kumar Reddy. Rahul played a gritty innings of 112 runs against the Kiwi attack, marking the 8th century of his ODI career. On the back of his heroics, India finished their 50 over quota at 284/7.
New Zealand began their pursuit of 285 runs facing a disciplined opening spell from Harshit Rana and Prasidh Krishna. Rana provided the early breakthrough by dismissing Devon Conway with just 22 runs on the board, while Krishna dealt a second blow at 46 runs.
However, the Kiwis took total control of the game thereafter. Will Young played a superb knock of 87, while Daryl Mitchell played a blistering, unbeaten innings of 131. The 162-run partnership between Young and Mitchell effectively knocked India out of the contest. Finally, Glenn Phillips’ quick-fire 32 off 25 balls ensured an easy victory. New Zealand chased down the target of 285 with 15 balls to spare, losing only three wickets.