“You wouldn’t have expected Suryakumar Yadav to get out third-ball” - Mitchell McClenaghan reflects on Team India’s batting performance in Auckland ODI

New Zealand v India - 1st ODI
Team India batter Suryakumar Yadav. Pic: Getty Images

New Zealand pace bowler Mitchell McClenaghan reckons that the cheap dismissals of Suryakumar Yadav and Rishabh Pant hurt Team India in the opening ODI against New Zealand in Auckland on Friday, November 25. Refusing to criticize the Indian openers for not showing greater aggression, he instead praised Shikhar Dhawan and Shubman Gill for laying a solid foundation.

Team India went down to New Zealand by seven wickets in the opening ODI of the three-match series. Batting first, they put up 306/7 on the board. While Dhawan and Gill scored half-centuries, they ended their innings with strike rates of 93.51 and 76.92, respectively.

After Tom Latham slammed a brutal 145* off 104 balls in the chase, questions were raised over whether Team India’s openers were too conservative. Disagreeing with the theory, McClenaghan countered while speaking to ESPNcricinfo:

“Shikhar Dhawan and Shubman Gill batted beautifully at the top. With the two new white balls, you do need to build a base at the top. They set an exceptional platform.
“You wouldn’t have expected Suryakumar Yadav to get out third-ball. He’s been the most in-form batsman around the world. And then Pant (got out) as well. Those guys had the platform to kick on.”

Sharing his views on Team India’s batting performance, Wasim Jaffer opined that the loss of four wickets in the middle overs cost them dearly. He elaborated:

“120/0 was a perfect setup for a score like 320-330. But then it became 160/4. Surya got out. If you want to make 320-330, you want Surya there for some time. Shreyas Iyer and Sanju Samson played a great part.
"At one stage it looked like they might get 260-270, but Washington Sundar played that cameo and they reached 306. But losing those four wickets from 120 to 160 set them back.”

Team India slipped from 124/0 to 160/4 after being asked to bat. Shreyas (80 off 76) and Sanju Samson (36 off 38) added 94 for the fifth wicket to bring the visitors back into the game. A cameo from Washington Sundar (37* off 16) then took India past the 300-run mark.


“Both batters can’t play in the same manner” - Jaffer admits Team India’s openers could have been proactive

While refusing to blame the Indian openers for not scoring at a quicker pace, Jaffer admitted that it’s an area the team will need to work on. He stated that the two batters cannot bat at a similar pace. The former opener said:

“When you have a good partnership going, one batsman has to be super aggressive. Both batters can’t play in the same manner. It puts you behind the game. Both Indian batters were looking to get aggressive, but got out pretty close to each other.”

While Gill was dismissed for 50 off 65 in the Auckland ODI against the Kiwis, Dhawan contributed 72 off 77 balls.

Check RCB Squad 2024 Details. Follow Sportskeeda for IPL 2024 Live Score, Schedule, Points Table

Quick Links

Edited by Renin Wilben Albert