Team India survive sensational Michael Bracewell blitz to sneak home by 12 runs in 1st ODI vs New Zealand

Michael Bracewell struck a spectacular 140 off 78 balls in the first India-New Zealand ODI in Hyderabad on Wednesday, January 18. His stunning effort went in vain, though, as the Men in Blue registered a 12-run win to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

In a high-scoring game, India batted first and put up 349/8 as Shubman Gill (208 off 149) became the fifth ODI double-centurion from the country. The Kiwis looked dead and buried in the chase at 131/6 in the 29th over. However, Bracewell and Mitchell Santner (57 off 45) launched a splendid fightback, adding 162 runs for the seventh wicket.

Bracewell went on an absolute rampage, smacking 12 fours and 10 sixes. He found a steady partner in Santner, who himself struck seven fours and a six. Bracewell warmed up by hitting two fours in an over from Mohammed Shami and never looked back.

He kept pounding the boundaries and raced to a 31-ball fifty by pulling a short ball from Shardul Thakur for a maximum. The two deliveries on either side of the six also went for boundaries. The southpaw continued his brutal assault on the Indian bowlers, lifting the Kiwis to 247/6 by the end of the 40th over from Washington Sundar, which also saw two sixes being slammed.

Bracewell brought up an astonishing 57-ball hundred by launching Shami over wide long-on for another maximum. At the other end, Santner also brought up a defiant half-century with consecutive fours off Siraj.

The sensational partnership ended in the 46th over when Santner miscued a short ball off Siraj and was easily caught by Suryakumar Yadav. The Indian pacer struck a double blow on his home ground, knocking out Henry Shipley (0) with a brilliant delivery that cut back.

With 22 needed off 10, Lockie Ferguson (eight) miscued a slower ball from Hardik Pandya to leave the Kiwis nine down. The equation came down to 20 off the last over. Thakur bowled a rank long hop first ball, which was dispatched over the ropes with ease by Bracewell.

The Indian pacer, however, redeemed himself and trapped the centurion lbw with a dipping yorker as Bracewell moved across his stumps and missed the ball. India heaved a sigh of relief!

Earlier, chasing 350, New Zealand lost Devon Conway for 10, who was surprised by a short ball from Siraj. The left-hander was hurried on the hook and top-edged a catch to fine leg. Conway’s dismissal, which came in the sixth over, was a wicket maiden. Two more maidens followed as India strangled the Kiwis.

Finn Allen broke the shackles in the 11th over, taking on Pandya and pounding him for 4, 6, 4, 4. Thakur's golden arm, however, ended Allen’s dangerous innings on 40. The aggressive opener charged the pacer, but Thakur’s smart cross-seam bouncer forced Allen to top-edge an attempted pull to deep midwicket.

Kuldeep Yadav joined the act by cleaning up Henry Nicholls (18) with a wrong’un. The batter attempted to cut a short-of-a-length delivery but was completely foxed by the variation from the left-arm wrist-spinner. He then trapped Daryl Mitchell lbw for nine with a skidder as the Kiwis lost their fourth wicket before the 100-run mark.

New Zealand’s hopes of a fightback then suffered a massive blow when Glenn Phillips (11) was cleaned up by Shami as he missed his slog over midwicket. Kiwi skipper Tom Latham hung around aimlessly for 24 off 46. His misery ended when local lad Siraj had him caught at deep midwicket off a short ball.

At that point, it seemed game over, but Bracewell gave India’s bowlers some serious pounding and almost snatched the match away.

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Dominant Gill puts New Zealand attack to the sword as India post big total

Shubman Gill scored a superb double hundred. Pic: BCCI

Gill became only the fifth Indian batter to score a double hundred in ODIs - and the youngest ever – as India set New Zealand a target of 350 after winning the toss and batting first. The 23-year-old continued his stunning run with the bat, hitting 19 fours and nine sixes. He also notched up his second consecutive three-figure score in ODIs, following his 116 against Sri Lanka in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday.

India got off to a solid start in Hyderabad as Gill and Rohit Sharma added 60 for the first wicket. The partnership was broken when the Indian captain miscued a big hit and was caught at mid-on off Blair Tickner. Virat Kohli was bowled by Santner for eight and Ishan Kishan (five) nicked one from Ferguson.

Gill and Suryakumar (31) added 65 for the third wicket before the latter fell to Daryl Mitchell. The Kiwi pacer also dismissed Pandya (28 off 38) in controversial fashion as he was adjudged 'bowled' by the third umpire even as doubt existed that the keeper’s gloves may have dislodged the bails.

Even as New Zealand kept striking at one end, they gave three lives to Gill, who made them pay dearly. The Indian opener could have been dismissed for the first time on 45 as he ran down to Bracewell and got an edge. However, keeper-captain Latham dropped the catch and also missed the stumping.

Gill kept going after the Kiwi bowling. After he eased past his century, he was dropped by Shipley in the 38th over, who failed to hang on to a touch return chance. The Indian opener went on to reach his 150 in fine fashion, lofting Bracewell for a six over wide long-on.

In the 48th over, he decided to take on Tickner and launched him for two maximums – the first one over long-on and the second over square leg. At the start of the penultimate over, Gill was on 182. Three balls later he was on 200, having clubbed Ferguson for 6, 6, 6. Another maximum followed in the last over from Shipley, before he holed out to deep midwicket.