India beat New Zealand in the 2nd One Day International by 6 wickets to level the series 1-1. But it has to be said that the star top order of India has been cold recently. They have not been amongst the runs consistently. Shikhar Dhawan got a 68 in the winning cause, but Rohit Sharma failed. The point is the top order has not fired in unison, something that was consistently happening, not so long ago. Virat Kohli lavished praise on Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar, but he also pointed out that the top order has not been firing.
India will now lock horns with New Zealand for the decider, which will be played at the Green Park Stadium, Kanpur. It promises to be a mouth-watering battle.
“It was one of those surfaces that if you could get a score on the board, and then squeeze, then you can make life difficult, but 230 wasn’t enough. We weren’t good enough at the top,” Kohli said.
“Bowlers were really clinical today (Wednesday) and fielders as well. Both those guys (Kumar and Bumrah) are coming along nicely. They know they are going to start more often than not,” said Virat.
“Today, with the wicket being slow, it was heartening to see them getting wickets in conventional ways,” said Kohli after India’s six wicket win over New Zealand in the second ODI.
“I look forward to challenges. We spoke about bouncing back before this game, and we have bounced back here today. Would look to play similar sort of cricket in Kanpur as well,” added Kohli.
“Dhawan has been playing really well. He’s striking the ball really well. He’s pretty confident at the moment. Dinesh as well, getting some crucial runs for himself as well as the team,” he concluded.
Smiles and handshakes. #TeamIndia wrap up the 2nd ODI by 6 wickets in Pune. 1-1 #INDvNZ pic.twitter.com/FA96rBOzSq
— BCCI (@BCCI) October 25, 2017
