Pune, Oct 24:
An under pressure India will face their stiffest test in recent times when they try to bounce back in the three-match ODI series against a refreshed New Zealand in the must-win second game here tomorrow.
It is not often that India find themselves in a ‘save the series situation’, having won the last six bilateral engagements.
Not many had also expected New Zealand to topple India in the series-opener at the Wankhede but the visitors, playing their first match since the Champions Trophy, did it in emphatic style.
It took a record breaking 200-run stand from Ross Taylor and Tom Latham to get the better of their formidable opponents, putting New Zealand on the cusp of a rare series win in India.
The way they played spinners Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav was commendable, considering the Australians struggled against the same combination in the preceding series.
The hosts, no doubt, were off-colour at Wankhede but the Virat Kohli-led side is expected to come back hard at the Black Caps tomorrow. Kohli led from the front on Sunday with his 31st ODI ton but did not get the support from his team.
India head coach Ravi Shastri too would want the rest of the side to step up.
The dangerous opening pair of Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma fell to the swing and accuracy of Trent Boult in Mumbai and they will now have to find a way to negotiate the left-arm pacer early on in their innings.
The Indian captain, who stuck a memorable hundred in his 200th ODI, would like to continue from where he left off. His role will be again crucial if the team has to set up a big total, provided it bats first.
The last time Kohli played at the venue, he ended up scoring a match-winning knock against England in January.
The number four spot remains a concern for the team management with 11 batsmen being tried at that position since the 2015 World Cup. Kedar Jadhav batted at number four on Sunday but failed to do the job.
Squads:
India: Virat Kohli (captain), Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik, MS Dhoni (wk), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Shardul Thakur.
New Zealand: Kane Williamson (captain), Trent Boult, Colin de Grandhomme, Martin Guptill, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Henry Nicholls, Adam Milne, Colin Munro, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, George Worker and Ish Sodhi.
Match commences at 1:30 pm IST. (PTI)
Follow our WhatsApp channel