India defeated New Zealand by 8 wickets in the 2nd ODI at Raipur to take an unassailable lead of 2-0 in the 3-match ODI series. This is India’s 57th victory in the ODI format from 115 games played. With this victory, India has taken another step towards dethroning the Kiwis from the top of the ICC Men’s ODI rankings table.
Asked to bat first after conceding the toss, New Zealand never got going as the Indian bowlers kept nibbling away with their wickets. Finn Allen was the first to go in the very first over of the match as he was castled by Mohammad Shami. The procession continued as the new-ball troika of Shami, Siraj and Pandya reduced the Kiwis to 15 for 5, their second-lowest and overall 5th-lowest powerplay score.
Glenn Phillips and Michael Bracewell tried to revive the New Zealand innings but a Shami bouncer go rid of the last match’s centurion. Phillips also stitched a small partnership with Santner to help their team cross the 100-run mark. The tail was wiped out easily by Washington Sundar and Kuldeep Yadav as New Zealand finished on 108, their 11th lowest-ODI total.
Chasing 109, India was cautious as the new ball bowlers of New Zealand seamed the ball. However, once the tricky period was over, Rohit and Gill started playing some strokes and brought the team’s 50 in the 10th over. Rohit Sharma was dismissed after an attacking half-century while Virat Kohli was prized out by Santner. All these efforts were not enough to stop India from winning the match and the ODI series with one game to go.
Mohammad Shami was adjudged the “Player of the Match” for his outstanding bowling effort. The India vs New Zealand 3rd ODI will be played at the Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore on January 24.