The third and final ODI between India and New Zealand at the Hagley Oval was called off on Wednesday due to persistent rain as the Kiwis won the series 1-0. At Eden Park in Auckland, New Zealand defeated Australia by seven wickets in the opening match. The remaining two ODIs at Hamilton and Christchurch were called off due to rain. At Christchurch, India was all out in 219 runs in 47.3 overs but rain robbed the Kiwis’ victory over India, restricting them to 104 in 18 overs.
Earlier in the game, New Zealand won the toss and invited India to bat first. India got off to a slow start with Shikhar Dhawan (28) and Shubhman Gill (13). Indian batters couldn’t gather any momentum in the game as the wickets kept on tumbling for them.
Then Shreyas Iyer and Washington Sundar played a good knock and scored 49 and 51 respectively. Deepak Hooda and Deepak Chahar scored 12 each while Rishabh Pant hardly earned 10 runs. T20 star batter Suryakumar Yadav once again failed in the long format, scoring 6 runs off 10 balls. In total India bundled up for 219 in 47.3 overs, losing all wickets.
Daryl Mitchell and Adam Milne were the pick of the bowlers for New Zealand, claiming three wickets each. Tim Southee has got two wickets while Lockie Ferguson and Mitchell Santner bagged a wicket each. Milne produced an excellent show in his first ODI series in 5 years, claiming 3-57 from 10 overs, which includes the key wickets of openers Dhawan and Gill.
The bowlers were all excellent, picking wickets at regular intervals. They restricted India to a below-par total and were on their course to chase the total.
New Zealand always had an upper hand in the game and for sure they were the better side in the game. while chasing, the openers Finn Allen and Devon Conway started well for them. Finn Allen has got 57 runs off 54 balls and Devon Conway supported him with 38 runs. New Zealand was in 104/1 inside 18 overs but rain played a spoilsport.
New Zealand was well placed for a win in the 3rd ODI with a small target to chase, but steady showers forced the players to leave the field.
The waiting continues as New Zealand needed 20 overs to be bowled to have a result as per the DLS method. The ground staff tried their best to get the field ready to play, but persistent rain meant no more play possible there. Hence the match was abandoned and New Zealand won the ODI series 1-0.
Kane Williamson picks up the ODI series trophy, a payback after the T20 series. Williamson says that they played nicely in the 1st ODI that eventually turned the series decide. Also, he congratulated the seamers as they purchased wickets at times in the match.
Tom Latham became the player of the series with his match-winning knock in the first ODI. “It was a nice evening for the whole group and personally as well. Bit of a shame I didn’t get any play in the next two games. We bowled fantastically well this morning. Hit the right lengths and gets some movement off the surface and restrict them to that total”, Latham said during the post-match.
This is New Zealand’s 6th series win from their last seven ODIs. An ODI triumph over India before next year’s World Cup in India is a positive step forward for the Kiwis.
India outplayed in this series, but seeing the bright side, the series provided a learning experience for the young Indian side. Gill performed extremely well while Washington Sundar was outstanding, holding the lower order together. The young players got a chance to get some experience at the international level to prepare for the future.
India will now go for an ODI series with Bangladesh and the first match is scheduled on 4th December at 11.30 am.
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