For India, it has been a terrific series so far and the second ODI is another opportunity to keep the heat on the opposition. The question is, what next for New Zealand? Things have gone from bad to worse for them and even Kedar Jadhav might be thinking it takes just a rolling of the arm to get a Black Cap out! His two wickets must have given him confidence. I believe he is a good cricketer, who needs opportunities to express his talent at this level.
I will look forward to see how Hardik Pandya follows up after a good outing on ODI debut. He has improved in length, his seam position has been immaculate and he has raised hopes of a seam bowling all-rounder. Anil Kumble has to make sure that he guides him with his batting. His mindset will also be important. It will depend on how hard he is ready to work at the crease as a batsman, something which Jacques Kallis did done for such a long time.
Coming back to New Zealand, they have to do things differently to come back in the series. Their batting has been a huge letdown and the reason is application. Fight and determination is not evident in their body language and if they don’t arrest the slide, this could well be 5-0. The top-order needs to fight hard at the crease. It doesn’t matter even if it’s a slow start. Flat pitches and fast outfields will provide ample opportunity to make up at the end.
Kane Williamson is so important for the side. Runs from his bat and most importantly, batting 50 overs is a must for this team, whatever be the scoring rate. Time has also come for a re-jig of Ross Taylor’s batting slot. Perhaps the Black Cap team management can push him down and not expose him to the new ball as he has been out of form for a long time. I was also surprised not to see Trent Boult in the line-up, especially because the white ball moves around a lot in the early stages.