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New Zealand edged out an Indian lower-order batting scare at Eden Park to win the second ODI of the series by 22 runs. With this win, the Black Caps have sealed the series with a 2-0 lead.
India won the toss and elected to bowl first. The decision did not look a correct one initially as New Zealand openers added 93 runs for the first wicket. Although they lost plenty of wickets in quick succession, the late heroics of Ross Taylor (73* off 74 balls) and Kyle Jamieson (25* off 24 balls) helped them to post 273-8 in 50 overs.
Chasing 274, India's batting suffered a massive collapse. India hung on in the match courtesy the brave batting of Ravindra Jadeja (55 runs off 73 balls) and Navdeep Saini (45 runs off 49 balls). But the New Zealand bowlers held their nerves and wrapped up India's innings for 251 runs in 48.3 overs.
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As both the teams head to Mount Maunganui for the 3rd and the final ODI, let's have a look at the three key observations from the match:
#1 The 76-run stand between Ross Taylor and Kyle Jamieson turned crucial
New Zealand got off to a decent start as the solid batting of Martin Guptill (79 runs off 79 balls) and Henry Nicholls (41 runs off 59 balls) added 93 runs for the first wicket in 16.5 overs. However, New Zealand lost the momentum as the Indian bowlers bounced back in the middle overs to keep the run-flow in check and took 6 wickets for just 40 runs which left New Zealand reeling at 197-8 in 41.3 overs.
Ross Taylor, who was then batting at 29 off 47 balls was the only hope for New Zealand who could take the team to a respectable total. And Taylor made it happen, holding one end strong till the end of the New Zealand innings. Along with debutant Kyle Jamieson, Taylor added 76 runs of the 9th wicket to rescue New Zealand from that grave situation and helped the team to post 273-8 in 50 overs, something which looked way beyond their reach at one stage.
Taylor kept his nerves calm and pushed the New Zealand innings steadily, and eventually opening his arms at the death overs and remained unbeaten on 73 runs off 74 balls. Jamieson (25* off 24 balls) on the other hand, despite being troubled by the Indian bowlers initially saved his wicket and played the second fiddle to Taylor.
After scalping 8 wickets for 197 runs, the Indian bowlers looked in total control of the game. But the partnership between Taylor and Jamieson turned the tables around for New Zealand as it gave their bowlers plenty of runs to defend and win the match.
#2 Indian top-order could not survive the disciplined Kiwi bowling attack
India needed 274 runs to win from 50 overs and looking at their batting strength, it was not a tough task to get those runs. India started the chase well as Prithvi Shaw hit 3 boundaries in the first over. However, the New Zealand bowlers did not take too long to dent the Indian batting order and started their job right from the third over.
India lost Prithvi Shaw (24 runs off 19 balls), Mayank Agarwal (3 runs off 5 balls), and Virat Kohli (15 runs off 25 balls) for just 57 runs in 9.4 overs, leaving them in a spot of bother. Shreyas Iyer continued his fine form at one end and scored a gutsy 52 off 57 balls. But the lack of support from the other end slowly pushed India out of the chase as KL Rahul (4 runs off 8 balls) and Kedar Jadhav (9 runs off 27 balls) returned to the pavilion without making any significant contribution with the bat, leaving India at 129-6 in 29.3 overs.
The New Zealand bowlers were outstanding with their line and length. Be it Hamish Bennett (2/58), Tim Southee (2/41) or Kyle Jamieson (2/42), all were clinical with the ball as they successfully tamed the Indian batsmen and took wickets at regular intervals.
#3 Ravindra Jadeja and Navdeep Saini showed how deep can India bat
After losing their top 6 batsmen for just 129 runs, India's hope of winning the match started to fade away and India desperately needed to replicate what Ross Taylor and Kyle Jamieson did in the first innings of the match. And much to India's relief, Ravindra Jadeja (55 runs off 73 balls) stepped out to the middle and shouldered the responsibility to keep India in the hunt.
Jadeja started his innings cautiously as he knew the value of his wicket. After the departure of Shardul Thakur (18 runs off 15 balls), Navdeep Saini (45 runs off 49 balls) joined him and since then the momentum started to shift towards India's side as both the batsmen started to counter the New Zealand bowling attack and denied them their wickets.
The duo added 76 runs off 80 balls for the 8th wicket and nearly clinched the game from New Zealand. While Jadeja continued his cautious approach to take the game towards the end, Saini helped to keep the scoreboard ticking with occasional boundaries.
Saini departed after playing a gritty knock of 45 in the 45th over. Jadeja continued the fight, bringing down the equation to 23 off 12 balls. But the lack of reliability at the other end made him go for big shots which eventually ended his and India's innings in the match.
Although India's specialist batsmen had a forgettable day in the match, the batting of Jadeja and Saini showed the depth in India's batting.
Also read: New Zealand vs India 2020 | Tom Latham hails bowlers after series triumph
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