Dharamsala: After some fantastic bowling from Hardik Pandya (3/31) and Amit Mishra (3/49), Virat Kohli scored 85 runs to help India beat New Zealand by six wickets in the first ODI of the five-match series at Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Cricket Stadium at Dharamsala, on Sunday.
Terming it to be a fantastic performance from the fast bowlers, Indian skipper MS Dhoni was in all praise for Hardik Pandya. “It was a fantastic performance from the fast bowlers. We had no clue it would help the fast bowlers. Hardik exploited the good length, a short of a good length. Umesh is somebody who has been quite quick consistently. He has gone from fit to one of the fittest. Hardik is deceptive. You think he'd bowl 132, but he crosses 135 consistently. Both Mishra and Axar Patel bowled well. They did go for some runs. If we had not taken early wickets, then they could have scored 280-300 and that would have been difficult. It was important to bat in the middle. I was in no hurry. The more deliveries I play the better for me. At times, the toss can be very crucial in this series,” said Dhoni.
New Zealand captain Kane Williamson said, “We had to weather the storm a little bit. They bowled very well in the first 10 overs. We had some soft dismissals. It was disappointing with the bat. We lost too many wickets too early. It looked a bit worse, so some good scrapping towards the end. India were too good, very good chasing side and they showed it today. We were below par in all areas. We need to step that up. We're a tough unit, so we need to stick together and have to play our best cricket to beat India.”
Hardik Pandya, who was Man-of-the-Match, said, “On a debut, getting the Man-of-the-Match award is special. This moment I will cherish in my life. I am very happy. It was good to be back in the team. I was a bit nervous. But I bowled a lot in Australia and the domestic season. I wasn't looking to bowl fast. I just wanted to bowl with rhythm. On this wicket, I was focusing on a Test match length, a good length."
Meanwhile, Amit Mishra said, “Dhoni told me to go after the wickets. It's a good batting wicket. It’s a good chance to prove myself in absence of Ashwin and Jadeja. Anil bhai is a good help for me, teaching me how to bowl on flat tracks. He always talks about mental toughness.”
