As easy as it looks? Injuries force India to rethink plans ahead of Rajkot ODI vs New Zealand

RAJKOT: After a closer-than-expected victory in Vadodara, India will look to iron out vulnerabilities such as the lack of wickets with the new ball and the spinners’ inability to strike in the middle overs. They will also be keen to maintain their unbeaten record of never having lost a home ODI series against New Zealand when the teams clash at the Niranjan Shah Stadium here on Wednesday.

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With allrounder Washington Sundar ruled out due to a rib injury, it will be interesting to see who is drafted in as his replacement. Delhi batter Ayush Badoni has been named in the squad but it remains to be seen if he gets a game. India’s power-packed top order — Rohit Sharma, captain Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli — will look to feast again on what appears to be a placid wicket against a largely inexperienced bowling attack. With vice-captain Shreyas Iyer also returning to form with a well-composed 49 and KL Rahul scoring 29 not out, India’s middle order has been among runs, barring Ravindra Jadeja. The hosts won’t want a rerun of the collapse they suffered in the first ODI after Kohli fell, which allowed the match to drag to the penultimate over.




The New Zealand attack, barring the lanky Kyle Jamieson (4/41), failed to pose any threat to India. Debutant Kristian Clarke (1/73) and leg-spinner Adithya Ashok (1/55 in 6 overs) were the other wicket-takers but their wickets came at the cost of runs — something the Kiwis can least afford if they want to stop India from running away with the game.

Indian pacers Mohammed Siraj and Harshit Rana too lacked penetration with the new ball, but they kept things tight and didn’t allow the openers to get away with the scoring. While Rana, Prasidh Krishna and Siraj held their own in the middle and death overs, the lack of wickets from the spinners in the middle overs remains a concern.

The only breakthrough there came when wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav had Will Young caught at point. With strips offering next to nothing for bowlers in ODIs, spinners have found it difficult to break through, while pacers have had to depend on cutters and cross-seamers to outfox batters. Despite being smashed at the death, Prasidh delivered a fuller-length ball to trap the marauding Daryll Mitchell, the visitors’ best batter in the first ODI.

The Black Caps’ openers Henry Nicholls and Devon Conway got starts but failed to convert their half-centuries into three-figure scores. Will Young and Glenn Phillips also didn’t get going, which meant New Zealand were 25 runs short in the final analysis. This anomaly, Nicholls said, is something the visitors are looking to correct in Rajkot.

“From a batting point of view, we did a lot of things pretty well and it’s a case of us being able to do them for a bit longer. Partnerships at the top and to be able to bat for an extended period of time are important. That’s always the case in One-Day cricket. If you are able to have wickets in hand, have a set batter in for the last 10-15 overs, then it certainly extends your death period,” said Nicholls.


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