India vs New Zealand 1st ODI: Sachin Tendulkar Lauds Tom Latham And Ross Taylor
High-flying Team India was given a timely wake-up call on Sunday (October 22) when New Zealand thrashed them by six wickets in the first One-Day International at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium. Chasing a competitive total of 281, the Black Caps crossed the finishing line with utmost ease in the 49th over.
The architects of the win were Tom Latham and Ross Taylor. On a pitch where even the in-form Virat Kohli struggled at certain points to play his natural game, the duo showcased remarkable patience and maturity to not only bail the visitors out of trouble but also took them to the win. New Zealand were in a precarious position after losing their top-three batsmen including their ever-dependable skipper Kane Williamson with just 80 runs on the board.
However, the duo stitched together a record 200-run partnership to level the scores before Taylor was dismissed o 95. Latham, on the other hand, remained unbeaten on 103 as New Zealand went one nil up in the three match series. Latham and Taylor have been receiving praises from all over for their stunning display and the latest to laud them is none other than the legendary Sachin Tendulkar.
The former India batsman took to Twitter to congratulate New Zealand on ‘a good win’ and also said that strike rotation was the reason behind the fabulous partnership between Taylor and Latham.
“Congrats on a good win, @BLACKCAPS. Great composure & good strike rotation key to the fabulous partnership btwn @Tomlatham2 & @RossLTaylor!” Sachin wrote on Twitter.
Congrats on a good win, @<!---->B<!---->L<!---->A<!---->C<!---->K<!---->C<!---->A<!---->P<!---->S. Great composure & good strike rotation key to the fabulous partnership btwn @<!---->T<!---->o<!---->m<!---->l<!---->a<!---->t<!---->h<!---->a<!---->m<!---->2 & @<!---->R<!---->o<!---->s<!---->s<!---->L<!---->T<!---->a<!---->y<!---->l<!---->o<!---->r!
— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) O<!---->c<!---->t<!---->o<!---->b<!---->e<!---->r<!----> <!---->2<!---->2<!---->,<!----> <!---->2<!---->0<!---->1<!---->7
Meanwhile, prior to Latham and Taylor’s heroics, India skipper Virat Kohli entered the record books with a sublime century. The 28-year old’s 121-run knock not only made him only the second player to score a century in his 200th ODI but he also became the second leading centurion in ODIs, surpassing the legendary Ricky Ponting’s tally of 30 centuries.
