IND vs NZ: "With The Two New White Balls, You Do Need To Build A Base At The Top, They Set An Exceptional Platform" - Mitchell McClenaghan Heaps Praise On Indian Openers

New Zealand beat India by seven wickets in the first ODI at Eden Park in Auckland on Friday, November 25, and the Kiwis took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. Tom Latham scored an aggressive 145 runs off 104 balls, while skipper Kane Williamson scored an unbeaten 94 runs off 98 deliveries, helping to chase down a 307-run target.

Shikhar Dhawan and Shubman Gill both scored half-centuries for the Men in Blue after being asked to bat, and they finished their innings with strike rates of 93.51 and 76.92, respectively. Shreyas Iyer dominated the match with 80 runs off 76 balls. Washington Sundar scored 37 runs off 16 balls with a strike rate of 231.25 to help India reach 306 runs.

Dhawan And Shubman Set An Exceptional Platform – Mitchell McClenaghan

New Zealand pace bowler Mitchell McClenaghan praised Shikhar Dhawan and Shubman Gill for establishing a strong platform instead of criticizing the Indian openers for not being more aggressive. He believes that Suryakumar Yadav and Rishabh Pant failed to capitalize on the start, and their dismissals damaged Team India.

“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,” Mitchell McClenaghan said.

“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,” he added.

Losing Those Four Wickets From 120 To 160 Set Them Back – Wasim Jaffer

Wasim Jaffer, speaking on Team India’s batting performance, stated that the loss of four wickets in the middle overs cost them dearly.

“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,” Wasim Jaffer said.

Team India slipped from 124/0 to 160/4 as Suryakumar Yadav and Rishabh Pant failed to capitalise on their good start. Suryakumar, who has had an excellent year in the shorter format, was dismissed by Locky Ferguson for 4 runs off 3 balls. Rishabh struggled with the bat and was dismissed for 15 runs. Sanju Samson looked composed with 36 runs off 38 balls.

India will take on New Zealand in the second match of the three-match ODI series at Seddon Park, Hamilton, on Sunday, November 27.

Also read: IND vs NZ: Washington Sundar Breaks Suresh Raina’s Record For The Fastest 30+ Score In ODI By An Indian Player On New Zealand Soil