Editor's Pick (ODI): India - New Zealand

We saw the first ODI. Bit of a heartbreak that was. India Lost to New Zealand. Took place in Mumbai. Chasing a target of 281, the opponent reached the number with one whole over to spare. The match winning stand of 200 runs was by Taylor and Latham. It was Latham’s fourth century. The six wicket victory was a rather comfortable one. They were not under stress. They played with a clear head and achieved the target smoothly. It was 80 for three when these two men started gunning for 281. Not an easy task, mind you. The number 280 is not small. The wicket was not favouring the batsmen. If anyone were to blame, Id say the Indian Bowlers. The much needed breakthrough never came.

Earlier in the day, India came in, all guns blazing. Kohli took the lead, hitting 121 off 125 deliveries. He is now the second highest century scorer, second only to Sachin Tendulkar. His shots included 2 sixes and 9 fours. Kohli being Kohli, it was a classy combination of aggression and some brilliant shots. India was 71 for 3. This was a very well timed innings by the Indian Captain. With some contribution from Dhoni and Karthik, the home team reached a respectable target of 280.

Kohli’s ton was in vain but it was a good win for the Black Caps. The second ODI is tomorrow, 25th October. How are we doing on the fantasy pick?

Match takes place in Pune. The Indian team will want to bounce back. No home team wants to lose. Will Sri Lanka ever forget it?

News: Will Nehra play? He has said he plans to retire after the T20 series against NZ.

India: Virat Kohli (capt), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Manish Pandey, Shreyas Iyer, Dinesh Karthik, MS Dhoni, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Ashish Nehra (only for first T20I)

New Zealand: Martin Guptill, Colin Munro, Kane Williamson(c), Ross Taylor, Tom Latham(w), Henry Nicholls, Colin de Grandhomme, Mitchell Santner, Adam Milne, Tim Southee, Trent Boult, Matt Henry, Glenn Phillips, George Worker, Tom Bruce, Ish Sodhi

My lineup

Batsmen

Rohit Sharma

Kane Williamson

Shikhar Dhawan

Virat Kohli

Ross Taylor

Bowlers

Kuldeep Yadav

Bhuvaneshwar Kumar

Jasprit Bumrah

Mitchell Santner

All-Rounder

Colin De Grandhomme

Wicket-Keeper

Tom Latham

What do you think?

Indu

P.S. Please note that the above-expressed opinions are purely the Editor’s. We do not take responsibility, nor can we guarantee the performance of the players. All the best !!!