India vs New Zealand 2020, 2nd ODI: 3 reasons why New Zealand won the match

After thumping India by 4 wickets in the first ODI, New Zealand produced another clinical performance to beat the ‘Men in Blue’ by 22 runs and take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series. The Kiwis delivered in all three departments of the game, and have got some measure of retribution after the 5-0 drubbing that they received in the T20I series.

In this article, let us look at three reasons why New Zealand beat India in the second ODI.

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#3 Taylor’s excellent ‘stitch’

Taylor was once again the backbone of the New Zealand batting lineup

If in the first ODI, Ross Taylor went all guns blazing and scored a whirlwind 109* off just 84 balls. In the second, the Kiwi veteran scored a sedate 73* off 74 balls to guide his side to a competitive total of 273.

At one stage, the Black Caps were struggling with the scorecard reading 197/8. They were in danger of getting dismissed below the 250 run mark.

But Taylor 'stitched' the New Zealand innings together with a 76-run partnership for the 9th wicket with debutant Kyle Jamieson. That was what swung the momentum back in New Zealand’s favour.

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Taylor was at his clinical best during the knock. He blended caution with aggression seamlessly and held the innings together with his experience. The Kiwi veteran stayed till the end and acted as the fulcrum around whom the other batsmen could rally around.

At the age of 36, it has been the Taylor factor that has allowed New Zealand to cross the line in both the ODIs against the ‘Men in Blue’.

#2 Kyle Jamieson’s dream debut

Kyle Jamieson

Kyle Jamieson could not have had a better start to his career than the one he had against India in the second ODI. When he came to the middle, the debutant kept his cool, played a sensible innings and acted as the perfect foil for Ross Taylor. Jamieson contributed 25 precious runs to the total, at a time when the Kiwis were in danger of not batting out their full quota of overs.

Then with the ball too, the lanky all-rounder was extremely effective. In the 10 overs that he bowled, he gave away just 42 runs, and most importantly picked up two crucial wickets.

He first dismissed the talented Prithvi Shaw for 24, and then picked up the wicket of Navdeep Saini, who was looking dangerous. Saini's wicket proved to be the final nail in the coffin for the Indian side.

For his all-round effort, Jamieson was given the man of the match award.

#1 Lack of significant partnerships by the Indian top order

None of the Indian batsmen could kick on and hold the innings together for India.

In a chase of 274, the Indian batsmen needed at least one significant partnership at the top of the order. And that is exactly what did not happen for the ‘Men in Blue’.

The opening partnership yielded just 21 runs, the second wicket of Prithvi Shaw fell when the score was 34, and Virat Kohli fell for just 15, with the scorecard reading 57/3.

KL Rahul perished for just 4, and Kedar Jadhav departed for a painstaking 9 runs, after consuming 27 balls. By the time Ravindra Jadeja and Navdeep Saini got together, it was too late, as the damage had already been done.

Even if one batsman could have carried on and stayed till the end, just like how Taylor anchored the innings for New Zealand, the Indians could have got over the line. But sadly for them, none of the top order batsmen could not carry on, and that really hurt the team.