Men in Blue aim to bounce back in 2nd ODI vs Kiwis
24 Oct 2017 4:00 PM GMT
Pune: After trailing 0-1 in the three match One-Day International (ODI) series, India will look to bounce back when the hosts take on a confident New Zealand in the second match at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium on Wednesday.
Despite a brilliant knock from the India skipper Virat Kohli (121), New Zealand's Tom Latham and Ross Taylor joined hands to hand their team a comprehensive six-wicket victory.
The duo contributed a 200-run stand for the fourth wicket as the visitors overtook India's total of 280/8 with six balls to spare. Apart for Kohli and Dinesh Karthik (37) no other batsman rose to the occasion. Many experienced players got a start but could not convert it into a big score. Kohli also rued that the hosts fell 30 to 40 runs short and, in the coming match the hosts would like to improve in that department.
In the bowling department, apart from medium-pacer Hardik Pandya (1/46) no other player made the mark as they only managed to take four wickets. The spinners, who had done well against the Australians, also failed drastically.
India's bowling coach Bharat Arun said to level the series is a challenge and the team is ready for it. "We look at it as a big challenge right now. New Zealand competed exceptionally well, they had a fantastic partnership (in Mumbai) and they went on to win that game," Bharat said.
Prefer the sweep against spinners, says Tom Latham
Pune: New Zealand wicketkeeper-batsman Tom Latham, who scored an unbeaten century in the team's surprise win over India, prefers playing the sweep shot against the spinners rather than hitting them down the ground.
At the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday, left-handed Latham relied on sweeps and reverse-sweeps to overcome the challenge posed by the Indian spin duo of Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav.
"Everybody is different in the way they play spin in different conditions. I think the Indians play the different way, they are used to these conditions and they have got their game," said Latham on Tuesday.
"One thing that comes to me is sweep that I have played throughout my career. It's something that I find easier to play than hitting down the ground," he added.
The southpaw, who was among the runs when the Kiwis toured India last year, was speaking to reporters on the eve of the second ODI here on Wednesday.
Arun hints at segregating bowlers for Tests and ODIs
Pune: India's bowling coach Bharath Arun on Tuesday made it clear that Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav are first choice for Test matches while Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah are preferred option for limited overs format.
"If you look at Shami and Yadav, they are your number one Test bowlers. And Bhuveshwar (Kumar) and (Jasprit) Bumrah have been exceptional and posses all the skills to do well in ODI competitions," Arun gave a peek into the mind of the team management.
"With the volume of cricket India is going to play, it is very important that we have pool of bowlers to choose from so that they remain fresh for every form of the game that we play," explained Arun at pre-match media conference.
Keeping in mind that Umesh and Shami will have a role to play in red-ball cricket, the team management wanted the Test bowlers to play Ranji Trophy.
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