Mohali: Team India, after a loss in the 2nd ODI against New Zealand, came back to winning ways after inflicting New Zealand's yet another loss in the tour to take a 2-1 lead in the five-match series, here at PCA Stadium in Mohali on Sunday.
Virat Kohli's exhilarating 154 off 134 balls and Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s 80 off 91 balls were the main highlights of the match as India defeated New Zealand by seven wickets in the second ODI at Mohali.
Indian captain Dhoni earlier won the toss and had elected to field.
New Zealand began brightly and were 153 for 2 in the 29th over before losing six wickets for 46 runs in the space of 9.2 overs. James Neesham and Matt Henry added 84 for the ninth wicket to rejuvenate New Zealand after that mid-innings collapse had left them floundering at 199 for 8. From there, Neesham and Henry didn't just survive; their partnership rattled along at 7.52 runs per over and propelled New Zealand to a total of 285.
As the slog overs approached, Umesh's old failings resurfaced, as short balls followed wide length balls that allowed the batsmen to free their arms and Umesh's already expensive figures took another hit. He eventually finished with figures of 3 for 75. New Zealand were bowled out with two balls still left to play, losing Neesham and Trent Boult in the last two overs, but they had already done India enough damage at the death, scoring 52 in the last 6.4 overs.
In less than an hour, New Zealand had effected a more-or-less complete reversal of momentum, though they may have still ended 15 or 20 short of a par total given the conditions.
With a target of 286 set, Indian openers fell cheaply with 41 on the board, when Kohli and Dhoni came to the crease. Dhoni, who had promoted himself up the order, had to draw in his horns after his cheap dismissal against the Kiwis the other night. It was this pair which completely destroyed the New Zealand attack. The duo added 151 runs off 167 deliveries before Dhoni got out missing his century.
This had given Kiwis the slightest of opening to the game but Manish Pandey's fearless cricket from the start and Virat’s unbelievable shots took the game completely away from the kiwis. Kohli scored his 26th ODI century in this match and once again proved he is the master in the chase.
Dhoni, however, would have liked to score a century which would have been a Diwali treat to his fans but unfortunately missing out by 20 runs. The Indian captain though joined the elite list of Indian cricketers who have scored more than 9000 runs with his score of 80 of 91. Overall the performance of the Indian cricket team was much to the appreciation of the cricketing greats and the entire nation.
