3 major concerns for Team India heading into the 2nd ODI vs New Zealand 

Having lost the first ODI in Auckland by seven wickets, Team India face a must-win situation when they take on New Zealand at Seddon Park in Hamilton on Sunday, November 27. A defeat in the second game will see the Kiwis seal the three-match series with one game in hand.

The Men in Blue came up with a disappointing performance in the opening dayer to concede the early lead. Sent in to bat first, they put up 306/7 on the board, with Shreyas Iyer (80 off 76), Shikhar Dhawan (72 off 77), and Shubman Gill (50 off 65) registering half-centuries. New Zealand, however, romped home in 47.1 overs with seven wickets in hand.

Debutant pacer Umran Malik gave the visitors hope by dismissing Devon Conway and Daryl Mitchell. However, Tom Latham (145* off 104) and Kiwi skipper Kane Williamson (94* off 98) featured in a record stand of 221* as New Zealand eased to victory in the chase.

As the teams prepare to battle it out again, we analyze three major concerns for the Men in Blue heading into the second ODI in Hamilton.

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#1 Conservative approach with the bat at the start

Team India openers Shubman Gill (left) and Shikhar Dhawan. Pic: Getty Images

Team India’s openers, skipper Dhawan and Gill, did well in Auckland, adding 124 for the first wicket. However, they consumed 23 overs in the process, nearly half of the innings. So, despite both batters notching up half-centuries, questions were being raised about their conservative approach.

Many critics opined that the Men in Blue are playing a dated form of cricket at the top of the innings. In an era where scoring at run-a-ball in ODIs has become more of a norm rather than an exception, can India continue to get away with taking their time at the top of the innings?

While Dhawan managed to pick up his strike rate (93.51) towards the second half of his innings, Gill finished his knock with a sub-par strike rate of 76.92. The worrying aspect is that this was not a one-off. India have been slow at the start in ODIs over the last few series.

If we look at the Indian openers’ performances in the home series against South Africa last month, Dhawan scored four off 16, 13 off 20, and eight off 14 in the three ODIs. As for Gill, he registered scores of three off 7, 28 off 26, and 49 off 57.

Clearly, an area where Team India need to catch up with the rest of the world.

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#2 Rishabh Pant’s unending woes

Team India’s struggling keeper-batter Rishabh Pant. Pic: Getty Images

The lack of runs from Rishabh Pant’s bat in white-ball cricket has become a massive headache for Team India. Yes, the aggressive left-handed batter slammed a superb century in the deciding ODI in Manchester during the tour of England earlier this year. However, his overall performance in limited-overs cricket in recent matches has left a lot to be desired.

His last six scores in white-ball matches for Team India read as follows - 27, three, six, six, 11, and 15. To be fair to Pant, he has performed much better in the ODI format as opposed to T20Is. In 28 ODIs, he has notched up 855 at an average of 35.62 and a strike rate of 107.54. In comparison, he averages only 22.43 after 66 T20Is at a strike rate of 126.37.

Pant’s recent struggles, though, go beyond numbers. He just hasn't looked comfortable out in the middle. Perhaps the excess scrutiny is having an impact on the youngster. Whatever the reason, he is not looking at his usual fluent self.

Scoring 15 runs off 23 balls, as he did in the first ODI, is not the type of knock you associate with Pant. The Indian management will be in a fix over whether to keep backing him or give the keeper-batter a break.

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#3 Lackluster bowling

Team India pacer Shardul Thakur proved very expensive in the first ODI. Pic: Getty Images

While Team India should ideally have put a 330-plus score on the board after the kind of start they got in Auckland, it is equally true that their bowlers were a major disappointment. Barring a brief period when Umran dismissed Conway and Mitchell, the Indian bowlers could not make any kind of impact on Latham and Williamson.

The Kiwis were in cruise control mode during the partnership, with Latham in particular enjoying himself against one of his favorite opponents. The visitors’ inexperience with the ball also came to the fore. It was baptism by fire for left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh, who went for 0/68 in 8.1 overs on his ODI debut.

In the absence of all-rounder Hardik Pandya, who is not part of the ODI squad, India suffered as they went in with only five bowling options. Shardul Thakur was extremely expensive towards the end of the game. His 25-run over swung the momentum New Zealand’s way. But the Men in Blue did not have a backup option to fall back on.

In the Team India squad that has been picked for the New Zealand one-dayers, Deepak Hooda is the only batter who can offer some overs with his part-time off-spin. However, his inclusion will weaken the batting as he has not been in great form with the willow of late. Also, how effective his slow bowling will be in New Zealand conditions is debatable.

The Indian think tank has a major bowling quandary to ponder upon heading into the must-win ODI in Hamilton on Sunday.

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