The final of the five-match ODI series between India and New Zealand is set to be played in Vizag. New Zealand have done well to come back from behind on two occasions to square the series.
It was a superb victory for the visitors at Ranchi and the amount of turn that was evident in the first half of the game gave us an indication of how difficult batting second on that track would be. It was expected that Mitchell Santner would bowl well because of the turn available, but special mention has to be made of Tim Southee and James Neesham, as both of them bowled exceptionally well.
There has been a lot of talk about the failure of the Indian middle-order and how the lower-order has managed to stitch together crucial partnerships. The loss of MS Dhoni and Ajinkya Rahane in close succession put enormous pressure on the relatively inexperienced middle-order, but they must understand that careers are made when a new player comes up trumps in trying conditions.
Reports from Vizag are not very encouraging. More than the weather, news about the surface have not been very good. The results of recently held Ranji matches have suggested that the newly laid surface will not be an easy one. When you play on poor wickets, the difference between strong and weak sides reduce, although I personally don’t consider the Kiwis to be a weak side.
It is good to see Dhoni coming in at No 4 and I hope that the losses do not affect his thought process. There has been a lot of talk about the lack of match-winning performances from both sets of openers but I don’t think that’s a big worry at the moment. India might consider to include an extra spinner in the XI in place of a fast bowler. Maybe just that much of tuning to the side will be good enough.