IND vs NZ: Winners and Losers from India’s Tour of New Zealand
Men in the Blue clinch the series 4-1 after convincingly defeating the Black Caps at Wellington.
India registers another landslide victory as they win the fifth and final ODI by 35 runs. India beat New Zealand at Westpac Stadium on Friday to register their biggest win in New Zealand (4-1). The last time India won big at New Zealand was during the 2008/09 tour when they won 3-1. But who are the real winners and losers of this series? Let’s find out!
Firstly, THE WINNERS
Ambati Rayudu
Ambati Rayudu played another impressive knock scoring 90 runs in the final ODI at Wellington. It turned out to be one of the most decisive knocks as India fell victim to another top order collapse at an early stage of the game. That performance takes his series total to 190 runs in the 5 innings he played. His performance surely turned some heads and could possibly land a spot in the squad for the World Cup.
Mohammed Shami
Mohammed Shami continued to challenge for India’s first XI come to World Cup with another lovely display of seam bowling to set up a comfortable win for India. He took an impressive 9 wickets in 4 innings he bowled. But his strength and game-changing ability are what makes him one of the most lethal bowlers in the world right now. With a bowling partner like Bhuvneshwar Kumar by his side, India do have a fantastic armory when it comes to fast bowlers.
The Indian Super Spinners: Yuzvendra Chahal & Kuldeep Yadav
The fantastic spinning duo took an astonishing 17 wickets combined across 5 innings. It really is a treat watching them bowl. Kuldeep Yadav’s two 4 wicket hauls in this series shows us why he is currently World’s third-best bowler. With these two fantastic spinners in their side, India seems to be pretty stocked up in the bowling department.
Trent Boult
Even after the heavy series loss against India, there is one Kiwi player that deserves a special mention and that is Trent Boult. The Kiwi pacer took a whopping 12 wickets in just 5 innings which includes a fantastic 5 wicket haul at Hamilton where he single-handedly took the Indian batting lineup down. Deserves every bit of applause for his wonderful individual effort.
And now, THE LOSERS
The New Zealand batting lineup
Apart from a few individual performances from Ross Taylor, Kane Williamson & Doug Bracewell the Kiwi Lineup never really could get par with their opponents. But looking at the positive side of things they surely have learned a lot and will possibly bounce back in the upcoming World Cup.
Shubham Gill
Shubman Gill’s international debut has been among the most eagerly awaited debuts in the country. The former U19 World Cup Player of the tournament never could get off to a good start scoring 9 & 7 runs in the 2 matches he played. Considering it was his debut series judging him would be a little harsh but big things are expected from the 19-Year-Old.
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