Five things that could decide India-NZ final ODI

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Mail
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • WhatsApp
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Virat Kohli's performance is likely to decide the match

    New Zealand played some gutsy cricket to come from behind to level the series 2-2 in the fourth ODI at Ranchi. With the series at stake, it is now all to play for in the fifth ODI at Visakhapatnam.

    Here, we look at where the match, and series, will be won and lost.

    Who do you think will claim victory and what have you made of the series?

    Have your say by commenting below, using #360fans on Twitter or getting in touch via Facebook.

    NEW ZEALAND MIDDLE-ORDER

    The New Zealand middle-order have been too inconsistent in the series which is why the visitors have struggled at times despite good performances overall. Too often in the series, the middle-order have fallen cheaply.

    From a relatively comfortable position, the Kiwis have consistently surrendered their advantage by losing too many wickets in the middle overs. Ross Taylor, one of their key middle-order batsmen, got starts in the last two ODIs but his form still remains a big question mark going into the fifth ODI.

    On too many occasions, the failures of the middle-order have been forgotten thanks to the performances of the tail-enders and the bowlers. If the middle-order can get their act together in the fifth ODI, it will be advantage New Zealand for sure.

    WILLIAMSON, GUPTILL KEY FOR NEW ZEALAND

    Given the fact that a lot of the New Zealand batsmen are struggling at the moment, the Kiwis will be heavily banking on their two heavyweights; Kane Williamson and Martin Guptill.

    Williamson has been the only reliable batsman for the Kiwis and if he can score heavily then the tourists will be in with  shout. Guptill had been short of runs in the series but his good performance in the fourth ODI suggests that he has struck form at last.

    A Guptill-Williamson partnership can be potentially dangerous for India and can take the game away from the home team very quickly.

    VIRAT KOHLI

    One of the most important things going into the fifth ODI will be the Kohli factor. Given the incredible form that he is in, Kohli can single-handedly win matches for India once in.

    In this series, India have won whenever Kohli has fired, suggesting how much the home team relies on their Test captain at the moment. Kohli has a superb record while chasing which means if he gets out, New Zealand will have a lot going for them.

    The Kohli factor might, therefore, be the most important thing going into the fifth ODI. New Zealand will try to get him out early. If they don’t, Kohli knows how to make the opposition pay once he gets in.

    INDIA’S DEATH-OVER BOWLING

    India’s death-over bowling has been inconsistent in the series. At times, they have done well to restrict the visitors while on other occasions, they have let the visitors get away even when they had them on the mat.

    The most important thing will be whether India will be able to keep taking wickets in the middle overs. Kedar Jadhav has emerged as the man with the golden arm in the series and keeps taking wickets during the middle phases.

    But can the Indian bowlers at the death do a good job of restricting the visitors? If they do not get it right, they might end up losing the series.

    INDIA NEED A COLLECTIVE BATTING EFFORT

    The criticism against the current crop of Indian batsmen is that they have become over-reliant on Virat Kohli. Although their batting looks impressive on paper, they have hardly done enough in the series and have collapsed whenever they have been put under pressure.

    Rohit Sharma desperately needs to get some runs under his belt because he is a natural match-winner. Ajinkya Rahane and MS Dhoni also need to perform since they are the other senior batsmen in the team apart from Kohli.

    Most importantly, India’s inexperienced lower middle-order comprising of Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, Axar Patel and Hardik Pandya need to take more responsibility. They have not done enough with the bat to re-pay the faith put in them in the series.

    The Indian batting looks very strong on paper and they can put in match-winning performances if they play to their full potential. If they fail, as has been the case for much of the series, the visitors might emerge as the winners.

    Recommended