IND vs NZ: "At The Halfway Stage I Thought It Was A Competitive Total" - Kane Williamson After Winning The 1st ODI Against India

On Friday, New Zealand Cricket Team won the toss and opted to field first. The Black Caps had a topsy-turvy bowing performance as the team made a good comeback after India’s opening partnership of 124 runs. The Kiwis were not able to restrict India to a total of less than 300 runs as India managed to pile on 306-7.

From India, it was a collective effort from the batters as 3 batters: Shikhar Dhawan, Shubman Gill & Shreyas Iyer smashed half-centuries. In the end, Washington Sundar played a handy cameo of 37 runs in 16 balls and was quite invaluable.

In response to the 307 target, the Kiwis were rock early as they not only got a good start but lost 3 wickets under 20 overs for 88 runs. The batters were facing tough to smash the boundaries. Skipper Kane Williamson was seen playing the anchor role as Tom Latham was quite aggressive in his approach.

The duo was quite brilliant in their approach as they played the waiting game and were involved in a 221 runs partnership.

Tom Latham smashed 145 runs in 104 balls where he struck 19 fours and 5 sixes whereas Williamson scored 94 runs in 98 balls where he smashed 7 fours and 1 six.  New Zealand chased down the target in 47.1 overs and now has won  13 consecutive ODI wins in New Zealand.

At the halfway stage I thought it was a competitive total- Kane Williamson

During the post-match presentation, skipper Kane Williamson was asked about the match. “At the halfway stage I thought it was a competitive total. The wicket was starting to turn a bit. And the cross-seamers got a bit out of it. But as we know on this ground if you build partnerships you can chase anything,” Williamson said.

Incredible knock by Latham – Kane Williamson

“Incredible knock by Latham. Absolutely on fire. We’re talking in the middle about getting through this over and that over. And then he just flicked a switch. Incredible innings.

“On this ground with the drop-in pitch, if you bowl nice and straight, it can be hard to get the ball away a little bit. It was an over or two where he flicked a switch. We got that big over and he just kept going. One of the more special ODI knocks I’ve seen. It was a very good wicket,” he stated.

Nice to get a win – Kane Williamson

“Nice to get a win. When we started seeing it turn like it did, you think a number of things. But I thought the seamers did a very good job. It was nice to make a contribution. With Tommy going the way he was, just tried to complement that. Just super special to be at the other end and see it,” he added.

Also Read: IND vs NZ: “We Felt Good About The Total” – Shikhar Dhawan After Losing Auckland ODI Against New Zealand