Like South Africa did last month, New Zealand have pushed India into the series-decider of the three-match ODI series following their victory in the second ODI.
And it was a convincing seven-wicket victory as Daryl Mitchell’s thunderous century helped the visitors attain the target of 286 runs in Rajkot with 15 balls to spare.
Mitchell’s century, a knock of 131* off 117 balls, downed the Indian bowlers, and KL Rahul’s ton, the India wicket-keeper posted 112* off 92 balls while batting in the first innings when the ball gripped into the surface.
Let us see the three major reasons, or mistakes, that were the key factors in India’s defeat in the India vs New Zealand 2nd ODI in Rajkot.
IND vs NZ: India’s Three Mistakes That Cost Them 2nd ODI Against New Zealand In Rajkot
Very slow start from Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill
Since the ODI series in Australia, Rohit Sharma has shelved his aggressive approach at the onset of his innings with which he rocked up the 2023 World Cup. Instead, Rohit seems to be returning to his template of starting slow and setting himself up for a big knock—a template that got him immense success between 2013 and 2019.
However, in Rajkot, both Rohit and Gill couldn’t break free from their shackles for five overs: the duo managed only 10 runs in the first 30 balls of India’s innings. And while they looked to make it up, finishing the powerplay at 57/0, the slowdown of the first five overs meant that India didn’t get to an above-par score that is often required in Indian conditions when batting first.
Losing a cluster of wickets in the middle overs
After a 70-run opening stand, which was broken in the 13th over with Rohit’s dismissal, New Zealand gradually got a hold on India’s batting lineup through wickets.
Virat Kohli and Gill were breezing with their stand of 29 (27) but got out playing uncharacteristic shots. And then the Kiwis applied the squeeze through Shreyas Iyer’s wicket.
Now under pressure, KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja did the rebuilding job but did it sedately through their partnership of 73 off 88 balls, their lives made tougher by the ball holding into the pitch. Jadeja made 27 off 44.
Between overs 15 and 40, India scored only 112 runs, which perhaps was the biggest factor in India’s defeat in Rajkot.
Failure to break the mammoth partnership between Daryl Mitchell and Will Young
India began well with the ball, picking up two wickets for 46 runs. But New Zealand put the pressure back on India via a huge third-wicket partnership of 162 runs off 152 balls between Daryl Mitchell and Will Young. This was followed by a 78* (57) stand between Mitchell and Glenn Phillips.
India’s bowlers had pulled the first ODI in Vadodara in the middle-overs but failed to do so in the 2nd ODI in Rajkot.
Kuldeep finished with disastrous figures of 1/82, and his ineffectiveness in the middle overs proved fatal.
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