Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni strung together a crucial partnership at Mohali when India were in a spot of bother to ultimately help the hosts chase down New Zealand’s total of 285.
Kohli’s inspiring knock of 154 not out helped India humble the Kiwis and take a 2-1 lead in the series.
Here are five things we learnt from the encounter.
KEDAR JADHAV WAS ON SONG
Dhoni did well to put faith in Kedar Jadhav in this series. Although Jadhav has scored loads of runs in domestic cricket, he has never been seriously considered as a batting all-rounder.
His bowling has continued to surprise though. At Mohali, it was his incredible spell with the ball that put the brakes on the Kiwis innings and started a mini-slide in the middle overs.
Jadhav accounted for the prized wicket of New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson and then went on to remove Ross Taylor and Corey Anderson. Although many would argue that some of the dismissals were slightly fortuitous, Jadhav just keeps delivering with the ball.
Kedar Jadhav picking up wickets is like a back bencher emerging as a topper just by randomly marking the options #indvsnz
— Cricket Bakchod (@AllTimeBakchod) October 23, 2016
BATTING STILL A CONCERN FOR BLACKCAPS
When a team scores 285 while batting first, the batsmen could be forgiven for thinking that they did a good job. But unfortunately, the scorecard does not tell the full story and conveniently glosses over the fact that many of the New Zealand batsmen have been struggling for form on this tour.
From 150 for 2 in the 28th over, New Zealand looked good for a 300-plus total but they lost wickets in a heap leaving them in a precarious position. Ross Taylor finally got some runs, but the form of quite a few others including Corey Anderson and Martin Guptill still remains a concern.
Although Jimmy Neesham played a good hand, the Kiwis remain over-reliant on Tom Latham and Kane Williamson. They lost six wickets for 47 runs in the middle overs to be reduced to 199 for 8, and that made a difference of quite a few runs in the end.
Given how easily India chased down the total, those wickets did come back and haunt New Zealand.
INDIAN BOWLERS STRUGGLE AGAINST TAIL-ENDERS AGAIN
Much has been written about India’s struggle to dismiss the lower order. At Mohali, India were once again guilty of complacency as they let the New Zealand tail seize away the advantage and post a big total.
Amit Mishra and Kedar Jadhav had started the slide in the middle overs with some fine bowling and after a flurry of wickets, at 199 for 8, India would have really wanted to fold up the New Zealand innings quickly.
Instead, they allowed Neesham and Matt Henry to counter-attack and that eventually led to a total of 285. Neesham played a brilliant knock to bring up his first half-century in ODI cricket, but the Indian bowlers should have never let go of the momentum at that point in the game.
DHONI COMPLETES 9000 RUNS
There was much talk ahead of the match about the Indian captain’s indifferent form. The argument has been that Dhoni looks a much better player nowadays when he promotes himself up the order.
In Mohali, after India had lost two early wickets, he came in at number four to string together a vital partnership with his deputy Virat Kohli. Calm, composed and counter-attacking at times, there were glimpses of the Dhoni who had batted up the order in the 2011 World Cup final.
He brought up 9000 runs in ODI cricket en route to 80 off 91 balls. He, unfortunately, got out when a century looked to be on the cards, but he had done enough to convince everyone that he still has a few years of international cricket left in him.
His 151-run partnership with Virat Kohli ultimately turned the match decisively in India’s favour.
Dhoni in this ODI so far:
— Bharath Seervi (@SeerviBharath) October 23, 2016
- reached 9000 runs
- record of most sixes by a captain
- record of most sixes by an Indian#IndvsNZ
KOHLI DOES IT AGAIN
In Mohali, Kohli delivered once again when India needed him the most after having lost two early wickets while chasing a big total. He built his innings with his characteristic sedate style and artistic shots, taking complete control of the situation.
Some of the flicked boundaries on the on-side were outlandish to watch as he maneuvered the field with nonchalance and style. He brought up his 26th ODI century, making him the fourth batsman to achieve this feat after Sachin Tendulkar, Sanath Jayasuriya and Ricky Ponting.
Not only did Kohli win the match for India, he also did it in some style in the end.
What did you think about the game?
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