After clinching the T20Is, Team India endured a seven-wicket hammering as the action shifted to the 50-over forward. The Shikhar Dhawan-led team, who were invited to bat first in the first ODI in Auckland, piled a competitive 306/7 on the board. However, the Kiwis chased down the target with 17 balls to spare. Tom Latham was the architect behind New Zealand's commanding win as he went on to blast 145 off just 104 deliveries on Friday. Apart from him, skipper Kane Williamson also chipped in with an unbeaten 94 off 98 deliveries.
The win saw India trail 0-1 in the three-match series, however, there were quite a few positives that the Men In Blue would look to draw from the contest. Umran Malik, who made his ODI debut, scalped two wickets in his quota, while conceding 66 runs. He packed Devon Conway for 24 (42), and then dismissed Daryl Mitchell later in the innings. The tearaway quick breached the 150km/h mark on quite a few occasions.
The Indian top-order gave the team a strong start, with Dhawan, Shubman Gill, and Shreyas Iyer scoring 50-plus scores. Another biggest positive was Washington Sundar's powerful cameo.
The all-rounder scored an unbeaten 37 off just 16 deliveries, which featured three 4s and the same number of 6s, and helped India breach the 300-run mark. Although wicketless, Sundar was equally effective with the ball. Bowling at an economy of 4.2, the spinner conceded 42 runs in his quota.
Former India women's cricket team coach W V Raman was mighty pleased with Sundar's efforts and also had a suggestion for teams, who the all-rounder plays for. Raman tweeted: "I may get trolled, nonetheless I am going to say what needs to be. All the sides that @Sundarwashi5 plays for should make better use of his batting ability.. @TNCACricket must set the ball rolling.."
{{/usCountry}}Former India women's cricket team coach W V Raman was mighty pleased with Sundar's efforts and also had a suggestion for teams, who the all-rounder plays for. Raman tweeted: "I may get trolled, nonetheless I am going to say what needs to be. All the sides that @Sundarwashi5 plays for should make better use of his batting ability.. @TNCACricket must set the ball rolling.."
{{/usCountry}}The second match of the series will be played at Seddon Park, Hamilton on Sunday.